Cardinals Rising Star Reportedly Drawing Trade Interest; Offers Will Be Entertained

St. Louis might say goodbye to the young slugger for the right price

Jun 4, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) celebrates with catcher Ivan Herrera (48) after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have survived this year's trade deadline without having to sacrifice much of their future or unload a fire sale of the club's top impending free agents.

Losing Tommy Edman might have been a difficult blow for St. Louis but luckily, he's basically the only notable player the Cardinals have traded so far.

However, that could soon change after recent reports indicate St. Louis has received trade interest from several clubs for a young and inspiring Cardinals slugger.

"The other player garnering the most attention from teams?" The Athletics Katie Woo reported on Tuesday when discussing who the Cardinals could still trade on the final day of the deadline. "Reserve catcher Iván Herrera. He isn’t necessarily on the block, but given the astronomical costs of relief pitching this deadline, (John) Mozeliak will certainly listen for the right offer."

Herrera is batting .279 with 10 extra-base hits including three home runs, 19 RBIs and a .718 OPS in 54 games played for St. Louis this season.

The 24-year-old stepped up to the plate after Wilson Contreras broke his arm earlier in the season, leaving the Cardinals without a catcher. Both Herrera and Pedro Pagés alternated playing behind the plate and played better than people might have expected them to.

The Panama-born catcher has only logged a .269/.340/.352 slash line with 24 RBIs and 61 hits in just 78 games played for St. Louis since making his debut in 2022.

The Cardinals have certainly seen Herrera improve this season and it might just be the right time to maximize their potential gain from a trade.

With Contreras seemingly being the next franchise catcher, it makes no sense to hold on to two young catchers who are both arguably ready to be a club's starting catcher. So why not try trading one of the excess catchers to land a high-leverage reliever?

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