The Iván Herrera Sweepstakes: Why The Rays May Have the Inside Track

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
The Iván Herrera Sweepstakes: Why The Rays May Have the Inside Track
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

If the St. Louis Cardinals truly make Iván Herrera available before the trade deadline, the phone lines should get busy in a hurry.

Catching is always hard to find.

Controllable catching is even harder.

Controllable catching with offensive ability is the kind of market that can make front offices do uncomfortable things.

That is why Herrera’s name is so interesting.

The Yankees and Red Sox are the easy teams to connect. Both have enough urgency, enough resources, and enough public pressure to chase a catcher if they believe Herrera can stabilize a position of need. New York always has the spotlight. Boston always has the history. Those are the clubs that drive the national conversation.

But the team I would not overlook is Tampa Bay.

The Rays might be the quiet danger in the Iván Herrera sweepstakes.

And Chaim Bloom knows exactly why.

Bloom spent years inside the Tampa Bay organization. He knows how the Rays evaluate players, how they build depth, how they balance roster churn, and how they value controllable talent. He also knows their farm system better than most outside executives ever could.

That does not guarantee a deal.

It does make Tampa Bay a fascinating fit.

The Rays are not some fringe contender looking for a cheap patch. They have been one of the best teams in the American League this season. They entered the break in first place in the AL East, with the kind of postseason odds that make a front office think seriously about October. This is not a club deciding whether to buy. This is a club deciding how much it wants to push.

Herrera fits the Rays in a very specific way.

He is not a rental. He is not an aging veteran catcher on the back end of a deal. He is not a pure bat without positional value. He is a 26-year-old catcher/designated hitter with team control, offensive skill, and enough flexibility to help a club now and beyond this season.

That matters to Tampa Bay.

The Rays rarely build around short-term splashes. They prefer players who solve more than one problem. Herrera does that. He gives them a right-handed bat. He gives them catching depth. He gives them a DH option. He gives them future control. He gives them a player who can be used creatively without simply disappearing after two months.

That is the kind of asset Tampa Bay usually covets.

For the Cardinals, the question is not whether Herrera has value.

He does.

The question is whether another club values him more highly than St. Louis does.

That is where the catching depth in the Cardinals’ system becomes important. St. Louis has Pedro Pagés at the major league level. Jimmy Crooks has pushed his way into the lineup. Leo Bernal brings defensive value in the upper minors and Rainiel Rodriguez, who is quickly rising through the ranks may have the highest long-term upside of the group. The Cardinals are not barren behind the plate.

That depth does not force a Herrera trade.

But it does allow the Cardinals to listen.

And if they listen, they should aim high.

Herrera is not the kind of player you move for a couple of interesting pieces and a handshake. The Cardinals should not be treating him like a spare part simply because his defensive future behind the plate is debated or because his current offensive profile has leaned more on on-base ability than damage.

That would be a mistake.

The rest of baseball will not view him that narrowly.

A 26-year-old catcher with on-base ability and years of control still has real trade value, even if he is not a perfect everyday catcher. In a league where half the clubs are trying to survive with backup-level production behind the plate, Herrera’s bat will get attention.

That is why Tampa Bay’s system becomes so interesting.

The Rays have the kind of prospect depth that allows them to make a serious offer without wrecking the organization. They also have enough roster pressure coming that moving prospects before they run into 40-man complications can make sense. That is how Tampa Bay operates. They are always thinking one move ahead.

If Bloom is going to deal Herrera to Tampa Bay, the conversation should begin with real names.

Caden Bodine is the headliner.

Bodine is a switch-hitting catcher who has climbed quickly in the Rays’ system and is now viewed as one of their top prospects. He would not be an easy ask. Nor should he be. Tampa Bay values catchers, and clubs do not casually move top catching prospects.

But if the Rays want a major league-ready answer for a postseason push, that is the cost of doing business.

From the Cardinals’ side, Bodine would make sense only if they believe his long-term catching profile fits better than Herrera’s. That is the key. St. Louis should not trade Herrera for another catcher just to shuffle names. They should do it only if they believe they are turning current major league value into a better long-term position fit.

Bodine would be a serious swing.

Michael Forret may be the cleaner Cardinals target.

Forret is a right-handed pitcher who has already reached Triple-A Durham. That matters. The Cardinals need pitching. Everyone knows it. They need arms that are close, controllable, and capable of giving the organization more options as soon as 2026 or 2027.

Forret checks that kind of box.

He is not just a faraway lottery ticket. He is near enough to matter. He has already been challenged at the upper levels. He would give St. Louis another legitimate pitching piece in a system that needs more of them.

That is where I would expect Bloom’s interest to sharpen.

If Tampa Bay calls about Herrera, the Cardinals should be asking about Forret early. Not as a throw-in. Not as the second name in a watered-down package. As a central piece.

The Rays may push back.

Good.

That means the Cardinals are asking for the right kind of player.

A Herrera deal with Tampa Bay could take several shapes. A dream scenario would involve Bodine and Forret, though that may be a steep ask unless the market becomes aggressive and the Rays decide Herrera is their clear October catching solution. More realistically, St. Louis may have to choose between a deal built around Bodine or a deal built around Forret, with secondary pieces filling out the return.

Either path has logic.

A Bodine-centered deal would be about replacing Herrera’s long-term catching value with a younger backstop who may have a cleaner defensive path.

A Forret-centered deal would be about converting catching surplus into upper-level pitching, which is probably the more immediate organizational need.

That is the tension.

The Cardinals should not trade Herrera unless they are addressing a real weakness. If the return does not include pitching or a premium catching prospect, then the move becomes harder to defend. This is not the time for generic prospect collecting. St. Louis needs to be targeted.

That is why Tampa Bay fits so well.

The Rays can offer targeted value.

They can offer high-end catching.

They can offer upper-level pitching.

They can offer prospects who fit the Cardinals’ next competitive window.

And Bloom knows where to look.

There is also a front-office familiarity that cannot be ignored. Executives do business with all 29 other clubs, but relationships and background matter. Bloom knows the Tampa Bay model. He knows which prospects are surface-level favorites and which ones the organization may quietly value differently. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of that development pipeline.

That knowledge could help the Cardinals avoid being sold the wrong shiny object.

That matters in a deal this important.

Herrera’s market should not be limited to Tampa Bay. The Yankees and Red Sox will draw plenty of attention, and both organizations have young pitching that should interest St. Louis. The Cardinals should absolutely listen there. If Boston wants to solve its catching issue with Herrera, the conversation should begin with one of its better pitching prospects. If New York wants him, the Cardinals cannot allow the Yankees to declare every meaningful name untouchable and then offer leftovers.

That should be the rule across the board.

No leftovers.

No volume-for-value trade.

No “three interesting pieces” headline if none of them project to move the needle.

Herrera is too valuable for that.

The Rays are the team that may be able to make a cleaner baseball trade. They need present help. They value control. They have a deep system. They understand the importance of catching. They may also be facing prospect-management pressure that makes a consolidation trade more attractive than usual.

For the Cardinals, the decision comes down to identity. Are they trying to win now while building around the next wave, or are they simply trying to collect future pieces? Trading Herrera can make sense only if the return helps answer that question.

If the Cardinals move him, it should be for a return that fans can understand immediately.

The Rays will not be easy to pry talent from. They never are. That front office did not become respected around baseball by losing trades casually. But if they believe Herrera helps them win the American League and gives them control beyond this season, they may be willing to pay a real price.

That is where Bloom has to hold firm.

If Tampa Bay wants Iván Herrera, the Cardinals should make them uncomfortable.

Start with Forret.

Ask about Bodine.

Push for a second meaningful piece.

Let the market work.

If the Yankees and Red Sox are serious, use that pressure.

If the Rays want to steal the show, make them prove it.

The Cardinals do not have to trade Herrera.

That is the best part of their leverage.

They can keep him. They can continue using him as a catcher/DH. They can revisit the market in the offseason. They can wait until the catching picture clarifies further. There is no need to rush a controlled player out the door.

But if the right offer arrives, they have to be ready.

The Iván Herrera sweepstakes may be one of the more interesting deadline subplots around St. Louis. The Yankees and Red Sox will get the headlines.

The Rays may be the team to watch.

Because if Tampa Bay decides Herrera is the answer, Chaim Bloom already knows exactly where to look.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Ivan Herrera, St. Louis | AP Photo/Mark Stockwell