Fans’ suggestions for trades on Twitter might sometimes make you laugh out loud. In other instances, Boston Red Sox supporters thought the St. Louis Cardinals were going to deal Ivan Herrera for Nolan Arenado in order to move *some* of his salary, which made you giggle and kind of freak out.
Yes, you read correctly. Many Red Sox supporters were certain they were receiving the Cardinals’ young star in a deal for Arenado because the Cardinals were “so desperate” to move his money that the Red Sox had that sort of bargaining leverage. If you were active on social media throughout the winter, it was difficult to ignore them. Needless to say, no such agreement ever transpired, nor was there any likelihood of it. Because that would have been a very stupid move for St. Louis, and if it had been, the Red Sox would have accepted immediately.
When it receives comments from beat reporters, you may be sure that a phony trade plan is awful. Chris Cotillo, who covers the Red Sox for MassLive.com, made fun of the rest of Red Sox Twitter for their incessant stream of trade suggestions following Ivan Herrera’s spectacular three-run outburst against them earlier this season.
Red Sox fans were convinced that they were going to be able to get Ivan Herrera in a Nolan Arenado trade this offseason
Believe me, there were times when the transactions were even more bizarre, with some Red Sox supporters even thinking they may get both Herrera and Ryan Helsley. Crazy times.
For some reason, Red Sox supporters were obsessed with the notion that Triston Casas, whom they greatly exaggerated in trade offers, would be desired by the Cardinals. Casas recorded 130 wRC+ and 1.7 fWAR in his first full season in the major leagues, which is excellent offensive output but somewhat restricted upside-wise due to his play at first base and DH (keep in mind, he was a very bad defensive first baseman). He only participated in 63 games in 2024, but during that time, he was a hitter with a wRC+ of 119. Not exactly lighting the world on fire there.
In contrast, Ivan Herrera had one more year of control, played a more vital defensive position, played in more games than Casas in 2024 (72), and had a better wRC+ (127). Not to mention that Casas would have been the Cardinals’ third left-handed DH option, joining Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman, with Pedro Pages serving as the primary catcher. The Cardinals were a left-handed heavy lineup and had already moved Willson Contreras to first base. Yes, it never occurred.
On Twitter, there are hundreds of people who thought that deal might happen. Here are just two of them.
I find it even more absurd that Red Sox supporters thought the Cardinals would need to make even more concessions in order to accomplish that. Others expected Helsley to be involved as well, or thought the Cardinals would need to contribute prospects in this transaction, while others thought they would still have to pay a portion of Arenado’s salary. Hey, some Red Sox supporters thought Casas was too important to give up, so they just wrote Herrera off as a trade component.
Again, Red Sox fans wanted that guy to be thrown into an Arenado deal because Baseball Trade Values told them that’s how the values worked. I recently wrote about how Herrera has produced like a top-15 hitter in baseball since 2023 and that he could be one of the best players in today’s game if he can stay behind the plate.
Casas’ 2025 season got off to a bad start, as he slashed.182/.277/.303 with a 57 wRC+ before his season was cut short after just 29 games due to a ruptured left patellar tendon. Due to his personal injury list stay, Herrera has, however, compiled a.419/.480/.907 slash line (271 wRC+) in his short time. Herrera will continue to demonstrate how stupid those offseason assumptions were now that he is healthy again.
Hey, Cardinals supporters are also susceptible to these crazy trade suggestions. As if the other side is unaware of those players’ shortcomings, some supporters like making up transactions involving three guys on the roster that they dislike in the hopes of acquiring a star.
In any case, when I say that I think about that story many times a week these days, I mean it. I am reminded of the ridiculous takes Red Sox fans have every time I saw Herrera. I am aware that other Cardinals Nation media outlets also regret those times.
Fortunately, Herrera is a Cardinal, and to be honest, that was never really in question. He’s fantastic, he has the appearance of a rising star, and Boston supporters may hope that another young player will appear on their roster out of thin air.
