Cardinals offseason could be barreling toward a surprise Ivan Herrera trade

Could Ivan Herrera be a trade candidate for the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason? On the surface, it's not a clear and obvious move, but when you think more about where the Cardinals are heading (and the things they've been saying), it would not be surprising to see him on the move.

The Cardinals do not need to be in "teardown" mode anymore. Their farm system is in a phenomenal spot, most of their roster is young and could be a part of their future, and the Cardinals are not far off from being ready to make noise again. So I wouldn't expect a repeat of last offseason, when Chaim Bloom executed four different major "seller" moves.

And yet, they are in a spot, with some players, where capitalizing on their trade value could make a lot of sense, based on the talent that's coming behind them and the construction of the roster. For example, moving a young starting pitcher with control could make a lot of sense.

The same argument could be made about Herrera.

If the right offer comes in, trading Ivan Herrera could make a lot of sense for Cardinals

Herrera, 26, is hitting his first year of arbitration and will be a free agent after the 2029 season. He's been one of the better young, right-handed bats in the game since his debut, but he's coming off his worst year at the plate and continues to have issues behind the plate defensively.

Even so, Herrera is a really good player worth building around. The Cardinals are likely that team, but other teams could see him as the bat they are currently missing.

Even though he's entering year one of arbitration, opposing teams would know that they can have Herrera under contract for three more seasons at very good rates, which is a big deal in the current landscape of baseball finances, and could be even more valuable if a salary cap is in place in the new CBA.

If teams believe in Herrera's potential as a catcher, that bat becomes a major weapon for them in their lineup. Even if they see him as a designated hitter, first baseman, or corner outfielder, if Herrera's production rebounds to what it was in previous years, then he's still a valuable commodity.

For all of those reasons, I've been very clear that I'm a big advocate of Herrera as a piece of the Cardinals' future, but when you consider how they are team building right now, his fit with the team moving forward is not super clean.

The Cardinals like the idea of rookie Leo Bernal becoming a classic, everyday catcher who can start behind the plate 120-130 games a year. They also have top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez coming soon, someone else that they have massive belief in as a long-term catcher. So, how does Herrera fit into that mix? The Cardinals continue to say he does...but is that posturing?

If Herrera isn't catching, full-time designated hitter is the role he'd fill then, especially since the Cardinals want Alec Burleson to start against left-handed pitching and are committed to Joshua Baez and Jordan Walker in the corner outfield spots. That can work for sure...but then the Cardinals need to make sure Rodriguez can play third base, or where does he play?

Chaim Bloom recently made comments that suggest he's not sure Rodriguez will be a primary third baseman in the future, rather more so something he can hopefully play at times to get his bat in the lineup. So unless that changes, it's hard to make all of the pieces work.

Even if those things end up forcing the Cardinals to "choose" between guys eventually, that does not mean they need to make that decision this offseason. But, it should cause them to at least have their ears perked to trade offers if teams are aggressive in pursuing Herrera.

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