1 player's offseason could shape the Cardinals' rebuild for years to come

Back in July, it felt inevitable that Ivan Herrera's days as a catcher, at least with the St. Louis Cardinals, were coming to an end. But in what was a shocking turn of events (at least in my opinion), Chaim Bloom wants to see Herrera try and succeed at the position again.

My surprise was baked into how the Cardinals have handled Herrera as a catcher for years now. They have clearly favored Pedro Pages behind the plate, preferring to DH Herrera as often as possible, and once the injuries stacked up, they stopped his catching duties and even had him start learning the corner outfield.

With how good Herrera's bat is, it made sense that St. Louis wanted to make sure it was in the lineup every day. But at the same time, given the heights he can reach at the plate, being able to stick behind the plate would give the Cardinals a clearer path toward a star that they severely lack. That makes his work defensively this offseason of the utmost importance for the Cardinals.

Ivan Herrera's offseason work at the catcher position could change the trajectory of the Cardinals' rebuild.

Herrera's bat is legit. In 2025, he slashed .284/.373/.464 with 19 HR and 66 RBI in just 107 games played, posting a 137 wRC+ that would have been tied for 13th in all of baseball with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had he qualified for leaderboards. Among all catchers, he would have ranked third behind just Cal Raleigh and Will Smith.

Since he debuted in 2022, Ivan Herrera's 129 wRC+ ranks 26th in all of baseball and third among catchers, just two points behind Raleigh's 131 wRC+, and since 2023, he's top 20 in the sport and tied with Raleigh for best among all catchers. Sure, Herrera still needs to put together a full season offensively, but he has never not hit when he's been on the field.

The real question is going to be around whether Herrera can improve defensively behind the dish. His offseason will be hampered a bit by elbow surgery, but he's expected to be ready for spring training and able to train defensively still, and that preparation is going to be under a microscope come the time pitchers and catchers report.

Herrera was rated a below-average defensive catcher in blocking and framing and well below average in his ability to control the running game. The Cardinals have also repeatedly acknowledged Herrera is lacking in his game calling, something they continue to value highly, even years after the retirement of Yadier Molina. These are not new issues for Herrera either, as he's always had a lot of room to grow in his catching chops.

The Cardinals and Molina have continued to have conversations about a role on Oliver Marmol's coaching staff next year, and that could be a huge boost for Herrera, should Molina be around full time next year. Who better to learn from and mentor under than Molina himself?

With how good Herrera's bat is, the club doesn't need him to become a Gold Glove behind the plate, but steps forward defensively can take him from one of the more exciting young bats in the game into superstar territory. If the catching experiment falters again, Herrera can still reach some incredible heights as a player in the corner outfield or DH spots.

The Cardinals have been sorely missing a consistent superstar for quite some time now, and while there are some prospects coming up who could end up filling that void, Herrera represents their best chance at doing so, especially if his work behind the plate improves significantly.