Three prospects for the Cardinals to trade before the trade deadline

A lot of (virtual) ink has been spilled about the St. Louis Cardinals and their trade deadline decisions that are looming. Josh Jacobs took to Twitter most recently to explore various trade packages.

Most of the trade packages being discussed are centered around major league players that will be moved off the roster. However, not many minor leaguers have been discussed as centerpieces in trade packages. My goal today is to identify three minor league players who could be moved for one reason or another.

Keep all of these trade ideas in a vacuum; one may happen in conjunction with another, one player may be included in a package with a major league player, or the trades may not happen at all. That's the glory of the trade deadline and the speculation associated with it: we never know what will happen in the end.

These three players could be traded for a variety of reasons. They could be blocked at the major league level, there is a better prospect behind them that's rising quickly, they are out of options, or they could use a change of scenery altogether. Hopefully, at least one of these trades fills a hole that the Cardinals currently have or will have in the near future.

Three prospects who the Cardinals can move at the trade deadline

Ivan Herrera

Once Carson Kelly was traded and it was clear that Andrew Knizner wasn't fit to be an everyday starter, the organization set its sights on Ivan Herrera, a bat-first catcher who has shown great success in the minors.

The 23-year-old catcher has always played well offensively, but his defense has shown signs of improvement these past few years, especially after seeing some time in the majors last year under Yadier Molina's tutelage. Currently in Memphis, Herrera is slashing .291/.425/.535 for an OPS of .960. These numbers are absurd for someone who is three years younger on average than his competition. Furthermore, Herrera has boosted his exit velocity numbers and walk rate handily from 2022 while maintaining a strong K rate. Sadly, the front office doesn't seem too apt to call him up since they just paid their current starter $87.5 million over five years.

These numbers, along with Herrera's age, make him very appealing to contenders and teams on the up-and-up. He is not arbitration eligible until 2026, so he has lots of team control left. Why would the Cardinals choose to trade him given all of these positives? Well, they almost have to trade him at this point if they don't plan on making him at least a partial MLB catcher next year. He's shown he can play in AAA and that he deserves every chance to prove himself in the majors. However, Andrew Knizner has displayed a sense of comfort with the starting staff. The starters already struggled to adjust to Contreras; does management want to replay that scenario again next year with Ivan Herrera?

If John Mozeliak wants to capitalize on a prospect's value while he has a starter and a backup in the majors, now is the time to trade Herrera. While he may not be a top-10 catcher currently on MLB.com's list, he does have stats that measure up to those who are on that list. He's probably a top-5 catching prospect in the minors currently.

The most obvious fit is Miami, and Josh Jacobs discussed possible Ivan Herrera deals with Miami recently. They have ample starting pitching and they need a catcher for those starters. Herrera could be traded to the Marlins and immediately split time with Nick Fortes or Jacob Stallings. Tampa Bay could also use a catcher, even though their roster is already stacked with strong bats.

Michael McGreevy

Michael McGreevy was drafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 2021 as the Cardinals' 18th-overall pick. He struggled in AA after a strong first season in Peoria, having a 4.64 ERA in Springfield with only 76 strikeouts in 99 innings. In 2023, the front office started him in AA for 3 starts. He thrived there, pitching 18.2 innings with an ERA of 1.45, a WHIP of 0.96, and 16 strikeouts to one walk. He has always done a good job of limiting walks. After his promotion to AAA, he showed signs of struggling. He currently has an ERA of 3.92 (limits home runs), a WHIP of 1.51, and an opposing batting average of .290. His strikeouts are around 8 Ks/9 innings.

While he is still young (22 years old), seeing a former first-round pick struggle at AAA is slightly concerning for management. The major league roster needs pitching very quickly, and McGreevy doesn't seem ready just yet. It is feasible to assume that he starts next season at AAA; hopefully, his velocity will tick up on his fastball and he will show development repeating a level he has in the past. The Cardinals need strikeouts currently, and McGreevy doesn't appear to fit that mold. Therefore, he could be used as a trade piece to upgrade in another department for the team.

The Cardinals could also capitalize on his youth and upside and deal him at this deadline. While the major league roster doesn't have any glaring holes (outside of the rotation and shortstop currently, but we have Masyn Winn coming up), McGreevy could be used with another player to fetch a big-name starter for this year and next.

Starting pitching is always a need at the deadline. While McGreevy probably won't start on a major league roster just yet, he could be called up at the end of the season to provide depth innings and will more than likely be able to contend for a rotation spot next year.

It is hard to pinpoint which team specifically could use a starter, so let's target teams that could give the Cardinals something in return that they need: strong prospects. The Rays, Giants, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Orioles could all be strong trade partners for McGreevy.