How the Cardinals handle Ivan Herrera has huge implications on two of his teammates

The St. Louis Cardinals may have one of the best bats in baseball emerging in Ivan Herrera, but where they decide to slot him defensively will have major ramifications on the rest of their roster.

Herrera, who has come up through the Cardinals' system as a catcher, has worked hard to improve his play behind the plate, but still has a major flaw with his well-below-average arm strength. Even so, his bat is way too good not to have in the lineup every day. Herrera is slashing .308/.385/.458 in his big league career entering Saturday's contest, good for a 138 wRC+. Among hitters with 400+ plate appearances since 2022, that's 14th in all of baseball.

The Cardinals are now facing a crossroads with Herrera. Do they continue to develop him as a catcher—potentially turning him into one of the game's best all-around players—or do they double down on his offensive value, committing to him primarily as a designated hitter?

Whatever decision they make will ripple across the roster, especially among some of their young left-handed bats.

Once the Cardinals commit to a direction with Herrera, it will have major implications for the future of multiple young players on their roster.

If the Cardinals commit to Herrera as their primary catcher, the designated hitter spot opens up for other intriguing hitters like Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman. But if Herrera remains in the DH role most days, finding regular at-bats for either, let alone both, becomes increasingly difficult.

With the Cardinals' catching depth and how good Herrera's bat is, he is going to get opportunities at DH more frequently now, either way. Even if Herrera were a primary catcher, he likely only catches 100-110 games a year, and they need his bat in the lineup more often than that. But those 100+ games he is behind the plate are 100+ more games that Burleson or Gorman could get in the lineup.

If Herrera is a primary DH though, catching here or there but slotting in as the designated hitter 75% or more of the time, well, that leaves about 40 games, give or take, for that DH spot to go to other players. And that doesn't include days where other regulars like Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, or Willson Contreras could get off of their feet.

Let's say the Cardinals do land on Herrera being their designated hitter moving forward. Here are some of the ramifications.

1. Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman lose the opportunity to start at DH frequently, needing to find playing time at other positions or no longer having a regular role.
2. For Burleson, he could supplant Jordan Walker as one of the club's corner outfielders, but that would be a significant decision with long-term implications that I'm not sure the Cardinals are ready to make. And unless Willson Contreras decides he wants out of town, first base will only be a spot start option for him, especially if Willson can't start at DH often now either.
3. When it comes to Gorman, his path toward playing time would be linked to the future of Walker and Nolan Arenado. If the Cardinals throw in the towel on Walker but want Gorman to play, Brendan Donovan can shift back to the outfield, and Gorman can play second base. If the club ends up moving Arenado, then third base becomes Gorman's new home.
4. The Cardinals do not have to move on from either Burleson or Gorman, but if their paths toward playing time are blocked, it does raise the possibility that either of them could be moved in a deal at the deadline or next offseason.

Here's the bottom line, though: As things stand today, how Burleson and Gorman fit into the picture is secondary to how the Cardinals view Herrera long term. If they want to utilize him as a catcher, great. Then it makes it easier to fit Burleson and Gorman in. But if they believe the best thing for him and his bat is to be a primary designated hitter (or even another position), then they should do that, no matter how it impacts those left-handed bats. As much as I have liked what I've seen from Burleson the last two years and still believe Gorman has talent to be unlocked, Herrera's upside is just too special not to prioritize whatever is best for him.