Former Cardinals Top Prospect Reportedly Could Be Highly Coveted Trade Option

St. Louis might have an underrated trade chip

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-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals will likely be active in the trade market this offseason as they look to reduce payroll while building up the farm system.

Who will be dealt remains a mystery for now but several key players, such as ace Sonny Gray and closing pitcher Ryan Helsley, could be placed on the trade block.

A lesser-talked-about trade option is a former Cardinals top prospect, who, after showing signs of promise in 2024, could be a highly coveted asset for other teams this winter.

"Another alternative would be trading (Iván) Herrera, who will get interest -- and potentially lot of it -- and that would set up the Cardinals to have (Pedro) Pagés for sure and (Jimmy) Crooks on the way," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold answered Monday during his most recent online chat with Cardinals fans. "These are avenues the Cardinals will explore certainly by/at the GM Meetings."

Herrera batted .301 with 18 extra-base hits including five home runs, 27 RBIs and a .800 OPS in 72 games played for St. Louis this season.

After stepping in for catcher Willson Contreras while he recovered from a pair of injuries in 2024, Herrara proved he's ready for the next step -- being a team's main man behind the plate.

If St. Louis retains Contreras this winter and doesn't trade him, having Herrera on the roster could be wasting his potential. The Cardinals already have a solid backup catcher in Pagés, so perhaps it would be in the club's best interest to deal the Panama native this winter.

With decent catchers being such a rare commodity, the Cardinals could use Herrera to reel in a decent haul of pitching prospects or perhaps some help on offense. It's also possible St. Louis wants the 24-year-old to be their next franchise catcher and would rather part ways with Contreras this winter.

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