Contending teams keep calling the Cardinals about Iván Herrera, and the reason has less to do with his bat than you think. Bernie Miklasz digs into a leaguewide shift that has quietly turned right-handed hitters into the most scarce commodity at the 2026 trade deadline, and explains why it changes the entire Herrera conversation. Bernie breaks down both sides honestly: the defensive limitations that leave Herrera without a true position, the strange split that makes him a far better hitter when he catches, the swing path problem holding back his power, and the recent Driveline work that may have him turning a corner. Then he lays out the numbers on baseball's historic left-handed hitter surge and what it means for a Cardinals lineup that already ranks near the bottom of the league in right-handed production.
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