Bold Trade Proposal Would Send Ivan Herrera to Yankees for 4 Pieces

The St. Louis Cardinals should give the New York Yankees a ring this winter.

Sep 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) hits a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have a slugger on their hands that plenty of teams around the league likely would want in 26-year-old catcher/designated hitter Ivan Herrera.

On the Cardinals, Herrera is a player without a perfect role. The Cardinals are loaded behind the plate and Leo Bernal is in line to be the go-to guy, at least to begin the 2027 season. Herrera could certainly be the Cardinals' designated hitter in 2027, but what about when the rest of St. Louis' top prospects make the jump to the majors, like Rainiel Rodriguez and Jesus Baez? Herrera has three seasons left of team control. At some point, there will be a roster crunch.

If the Cardinals want to sell high, this offseason would be the time to do so. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that St. Louis will explore deals involving catchers this offseason, including Pedro Pages, Herrera and Jimmy Crooks. If Herrera is going to be out of the organization, one team the Cardinals should call is the New York Yankees. Here is a mock trade that Chaim Bloom should be looking for.

Cardinals-Yankees Ivan Herrera Mock Trade

Sep 22, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cardinals Receive: RHP Carlos Lagrange (Yankees' No. 3 prospect), RHP Thatcher Hurd (Yankees' No. 6 prospect), LHP Kyle Carr (Yankees' No. 12 prospect) and INF Ryan McMahon.

Yankees Receive: C/DH Ivan Herrera and C Pedro Pages

This is a bold proposal, but stick with us here. McMahon would be a short-term fill-in at third base. He didn't have a good 2026 season. He hit 11 home runs and batted .213 in 124 games played. But he had five straight seasons with at least 20 homers between 2021 and 2025. He's going to make $16 million in 2027. That's a lot of money and if the Yankees want out of his deal, they'll have to give up a good prospect in exchange.

In any deal involving Herrera, the return would have to be very good because he has three seasons of control left. In this scenario, the Cardinals would bring in three elite pitching prospects and take on McMahon's deal for a year in exchange for Herrera and Pages as a throw-in. The Yankees would get an All-Star bat to either plug in behind the plate or as a designated hitter and more catching depth.

If Herrera is going to be moved this winter, the return has to be massive. This is the type of deal that would fit that description.