New MLB Trade Rumors Reveal 'High' Asking Prices and Concerns on Cardinals All-Star Ivan Herrera

If the St. Louis Cardinals Iván Herrera, they want to make sure they receive maximum value for him in a way that could give opposing teams pause about aggressively pursuing the All-Star catcher.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo, the Cardinals have put a "high" asking price on many of their MLB players and that's a concern for Herrera because other clubs feel he "might not be a catcher long-term."

The report added Cardinals officials are "exceptionally high" on Herrera's bat and "don't feel particularly inclined" to trade him right now.

Since becoming a full-time player at the MLB level in 2024, Herrera has played more games at DH (168) than catcher (120). He made the All-Star team this year as an injury replacement at designated hitter when Shohei Ohtani withdrew from the event.

Herrera's defensive metrics back up the notion he might not be a viable long-term option behind the plate. He ranks in the 40th percentile in framing, 16th percentile in pop time and first percentile in caught stealing above average, per Statcast.

Among 41 catchers with at least 350 defensive innings this season, Herrera ranks 39th in FanGraphs' defensive value.

This is a situation where both the Cardinals and opposing teams are right to take a strong stance. The Cardinals could argue that even if Herrera ends up being limited to DH, his bat has played so well that he can maintain a high level of value.

Herrera owns a .271/.368/.416 slash line in 1,258 career plate appearances. He hasn't developed huge power, but his eye at the plate and bat-to-ball skills allow him to hit for average and get on base at a strong rate.

Plus, Herrera won't hit arbitration until next season, so any team he is on will have three more years of team control beyond the 2026 campaign.

The Cardinals have fallen off this month after a strong start to the season. They are 10-17 in July entering play on Friday and have dropped three games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the final wild card spot in the NL.