Major piece of Cardinals' young core voted among best in the game right now

The St. Louis Cardinals finally made what I felt to be the most necessary deal of the offseason, dealing veteran All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Diamondbacks. That move opens up third base for whomever the Cardinals organization wants to give the most opportunity to as they sort through their upcoming youngsters. One player who did not need a subtraction from the major league roster in order to get that chance is catcher Ivan Herrera.

Ivan Herrera cracked MLB Network's Top 100 players right now.

The budding star from Panama, who will be representing his home country during the World Baseball Classic, comes into the 2026 campaign looking to prove himself this season. Herrera, 25, played in a career-high 107 games last year and hit 19 homers en route to a 137 wRC+ and a 2.7 fWAR season. He made it to the national spotlight quickly with a three-homer game early in the year but was hampered by injuries and poor defense behind the plate. Despite the small sample size and a lack of defined position at this point, MLB Network still loved what they saw from Herrera in 2025 and ranked him #98 on their annual Top 100 Players Right Now list.

At this point in the offseason, the Cardinals seem comfortable with getting Herrera back behind the plate on a mostly full-time basis. This is going to be one of the bigger storylines of the season that will begin with every bullpen and fielding session getting critiqued as the Cardinals look to find their next long-term catcher. Herrera, who is recovering from offseason arm surgery, has struggled defensively as a backstop and has only thrown out six out of 75 would-be base stealers over his career. It appears as if rehab is going well for Herrera, and the hopes are that the surgery would address any arm issues and allow him to take that next step in controlling the running game. If Team Panama decides to use Herrera as a catcher during the WBC, the Cardinals could get an early evaluation of what he looks like during game reps and see what he may need to work on when he returns to camp.

If it turns out that catcher is just not in the cards for Herrera, there are plenty of other options at or approaching the major league level. Providing big league support to the youngster is Pedro Pages, who is lauded for his ability to handle a pitching staff but struggled offensively for the entire season outside of a scorching-hot August. Also available in a pinch is Yohel Pozo, who enamored Cardinal Nation with his energy and a knack for the dramatic. He was removed from the 40-man roster at the outset of the offseason but was brought back on a split minor league deal for next year.

Supporting the major league roster comes plenty of talent and intrigue as the Cardinals have Jimmy Crooks, who made his MLB debut last season with mediocre results, minor league Gold Glove winner and top 100 prospect Leonardo Bernal, and 19-year-old power prodigy Rainiel Rodriguez ready to push to the next level.

Even without the established track record of others who show up on MLB Network's Top 100 list, Ivan Herrera received recognition for his offensive prowess. If he can progress even a little bit as a catcher, he could easily find his way into the top half of the league.