With MLB’s general managers descending on Las Vegas and sure to spend large amounts of time formulating the kinds of trades that can improve their respective rosters, it’s time to contemplate which players the St. Louis Cardinals might dangle as trade bait to help them land them help at third base, in the bullpen and in the starting rotation.

Despite surprising most of the baseball world early in the season and seriously flirting with a Wild Card spot until mid-July, a young and feisty Cardinals club ultimately faded in August and September. An offense that ranked 10th in the National League in runs and 15th in slugging and OPS was partially the reason, while a leaky, overused bullpen was also at fault. If the Cardinals hope to make a leap in 2027, they must address their glaring holes at third and in the bullpen. 

Never expected to be a franchise to make major splashes in free agency on a regular basis, the Cardinals could instead look to the trade market as a way to clean up some of the redundancy on their roster and make beneficial additions. Here are five players the Cardinals could dangle – not necessarily trade, but dangle – over the next few days during the GM meetings in Las Vegas:

It might seem like lunacy to shop one of the Cardinals’ best hitters in an offseason where they badly need to add multiple bats, but the club might not have a choice but to see what Herrera could fetch in a potential deal because of his lack of a position defensively. Determined to show that he could handle the catching position, Herrera caught 52 games in 2026 – up from his 14 games behind the plate in an injury-filled 2025 – but that increased time as a receiver only accentuated Herrera’s many flaws. Not only did Herrera allow the first 29 base runners to successfully steal a base off him, but he only threw out one of 38 base stealers on the season. Primarily at issue: Herrera’s 76.6 mph throws to bases is one of the worst in baseball. Also, the weight of catching more games and game-planning for pitchers seemed to take a toll on his effectiveness as a hitter. His batting average fell 43 points, and his OPS dropped 102 points from 2025 to 2026. Obviously, other teams are well aware of these numbers, but the Cardinals should see if Herrera’s power potential could return them a starting pitcher or third baseman.

I am actually of the belief that Winn is far more valuable to the Cardinals than the numbers bear out. His defense isn’t just elite; it is difference-making. His brash confidence spilled over to rookie second baseman and it gives the pitching staff the belief that Winn is capable of making any play behind them. However, the Cardinals have to be wondering if they can continue using an everyday shortstop who gives them increasingly less offensively? Afrter posting a .267 batting average, 15 homers, 57 RBI and a 104 OPS+ in 2024, Winn has seen his OPS+ drop to 92 in 2025 and 80 in 2026. Wetherholt has shown the ability to play shortstop, and slugging prospect Jesus Baez smashed 41 homers (and committed 11 errors at shortstop) at High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. Would a team be willing to offer a solid starting pitcher or a third baseman with pop? I’d say it’s highly unlikely the Cards move on from Winn, but they certainly need to see more from him at the plate in 2027.

The Cardinals must try and pinpoint which Pallante they will get in 2027: the pitcher who badly struggled with his confidence and his stuff in a 2025 when he went 6-15 with a 5.31 ERA or the one who offered up the stellar bounce-back season in 2026 when he went 12-9 with a 3.83 ERA over 29 starts. The stirring bounce-back is expected to cost the Cardinals approximately $7.5 million to keep Pallante in 2027, and they might feel like that money can be better used to address the offense or the bullpen. Some of the advanced analytics doubt Pallante can repeat what he did in 2026. Based on the quality of contact he allowed, his expected ERA was 4.15, and the expected batting average allowed was 262. Do the Cardinals try and sell high on Pallante to see if they could get a promising bat in return?

It’s no secret that the Cardinals have a surplus of catching depth throughout their organization. Leo Bernal, who impressively smashed five home runs and drove in 21 runs in 24 games in September, might already be the best catcher the Cardinals have had since Yadier Molina hung up his catching gear in 2022. Top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez, who is still two months from turning 20 years old, looks like a can’t-miss star of the future with a swing that allows him to hit for power to all fields. Pages’ trade value is hurt by his offensive struggles, but pitchers love him, he calls a great game and his 31 percent success rate in throwing out base stealers last season ranked third among catchers with at least 15 runners who were caught stealing. Crooks, a former Top 100 prospect, is still just 25 years old and might have more value because of his lefty bat. He finished with a flourish at Triple-A Memphis and posted a 1.006 OPS with 15 homers. However, he has mostly whiffed against big-league pitching (a 33.3 percent strikeout rate in 2025 and ‘26). Could he benefit from a fresh start elsewhere?