Happy Wednesday,
Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson here. This week's questions will be answered below. Thanks, and please don't be shy about sending in any questions or comments you want to see tackled. Have a great rest of your week!Â
Got a question? Email me here (bfrederickson@post-dispatch.com) or find me on X (formerly known as Twitter) at and hashtag your question with #BF5.
Happy Wednesday, folks. Before diving into your questions, here are my latest columns, in case you missed them . . .Â
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This week's spotlight goes to . . . Dennis, via email.
Q: What's the Cardinals' plan for Ivan Herrera? Could he be moved to first base and platoon with Alec Burleson if Paul Goldschmidt departs in free agency? Will he be packaged in a trade for a starting pitcher? It seems Willson Contreras and Pedro Pages are locked in ahead of him at catcher.
BF: Great question. And lots of unknowns that could impact the ultimate answer. It's clear based on playing time that Cardinals manager Oli Marmol prefers to play Pages over Herrera behind the plate when Contreras is not available or a designated-hitter day. Last season there were questions about Herrera's game prep and pitch calling. The description was that things sped up on him during games, meaning he wasn't always thinking and acting as quick as the Cardinals prefer their catchers to be regarding reading hitters, calling pitches, managing defenses, etc. This season there are concerns about his arm strength. But the bat plays, even despite sporadic reps. Over 236 at-bats since last season he's averaged .284 with a .360 on-base percentage and a .377 slugging percentage. And remember, he's only 24 years old. You never rule out a position change with the Cardinals, as they've tried it many times with varying degrees of success. I will remind folks that first base isn't as easy as some think, and while I'm OK with the Cardinals letting Goldschmidt go after this season, I do think going from a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman to a platoon of guys learning the position on the fly would be a big shock to both the players throwing to first base and fans watching the games. Remember the failed Jose Martinez experiment? Not even Jose Oquendo could save him. I'll just say this for now. If the front office is determined to see Herrera become the catcher in waiting after Contreras, it's probably going to have to take away Pages from the manger, or change managers. If the front office agrees with the manager that Herrera is the third-best catching option and Pages, who has played well and also hit, is the better secondary catcher, then moving Herrera before his value sinks even more could be the right call. I'm also a bit cautious about the Cardinals deciding guys can't be catchers. They tried to convince themselves Willson Contreras wasn't a catcher. The organization still seems to be wrestling with the reality that Yadier Molina is not walking through that clubhouse door.
And Keith, via email . . .
Q: So, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak says on KMOX that changes are coming and the roster needs to be recalibrated. What does that mean?
BF: Some, we know. See the retirement of Gary LaRocque. Player development will have a new lead moving forward. And roster churn continues, like Thomas Saggese getting his shot. The Cardinals did not wait until mathematical elimination to start clearing playing time for young guys who should benefit from the reps, which was the right call. The biggest to-be-determined will come when ownership comments on the season and the future. Who leads the front office moving forward? Mozeliak is entering the final year of his contract, like LaRocque was before his early retirement into an advisory role, and it's fair to wonder if there could be a public transition ahead of schedule based on continued lackluster results. Chaim Bloom has been quietly auditing the organization and has chairman Bill Dewitt Jr.'s trust. Randy Flores has been climbing the front office ranks for a long time. If DeWitt is going to let Mozeliak sit in the big chair another year, he's going to have to explain to fans why that's the right call.
One last note . . .
Thanks to all who emailed about my Cardinals attendance column. Many of you said the rising costs of going to games should have been mentioned. It's a valid point but not one that I feel like uniquely applies to what we are seeing this season, so that's why I didn't drill down on it. But yes, paying stiff prices to park and for concessions to see a team that is going to miss the postseason is yet another reason for people to pass on going to games. Thanks, as always, for the interaction. Have a great rest of your week.