Cardinals 'Must Find A Spot' In Everyday Lineup For Rising Star Despite Trade Rumor

Should St. Louis hold onto the young slugger?

Sep 1, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) celebrates with catcher Iván Herrera (48) after scoring in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals offense forgot to show up in 2024, leading to a second consecutive season of missing the playoffs and a fanbase that's fed up with their beloved team.

Forecasting the Cardinals' lineup for next season is challenging. With the club looking to focus on player development instead of retooling the roster for a playoff push, there's no telling who will be standing in the batter's box for St. Louis come Opening Day 2025.

However, a young slugger, who has made a name for himself after filling in for Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras this season, is being called on to be included in St. Louis' starting lineup next year.

"I've said it for weeks and I'll say it again: The (Cardinals) must find a spot in the everyday lineup for Iván Herrera's bat in 2025 -- whether that's at 1B, DH or the OF (He was taking grounders at 1B earlier) MLB.com's John Denton wrote Thursday afternoon after the young slugger crushed his No. 5 home run of the season against the Colorado Rockies.

Herrara is batting .298 with 18 extra-base hits including five home runs, 27 RBIs and a .795 OPS in 71 games played for St. Louis this season.

"More notes on Iván Herrera at the plate: He's reached base safely in his last 19 starts (June 12-present). His OPS is north of 1.000 in those games," Denton continued. "His streak is the second-longest active streak in Major League Baseball to Justin Turner's 24 consecutive games on base."

The 24-year-old was recently speculated as a possible trade option for the Chicago Cubs, who want to add a franchise catcher this offseason.

Considering the Cardinals are looking to strengthen their player development this winter, there's a chance they won't want to part ways with Herrara -- at least not yet.

It would make sense for St. Louis to retain Herrara and see what they can get from him while he's still under team control. Perhaps we'll see more of the young catcher in the Cardinals starting lineup next season.

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