MLB Insider thinks the St. Louis Cardinals might trade Nolan Gorman

Nolan Gorman #81 of the St. Louis Cardinals in action against the New York Mets during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on February 22, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Nolan Gorman #81 of the St. Louis Cardinals in action against the New York Mets during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on February 22, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Baseball America thinks the St. Louis Cardinals might trade Nolan Gorman during the regular season, and it makes little sense.

As we wrote this morning, the St. Louis Cardinals are unlikely to make any significant trades when the offseason eventually resumes. After that, however, it could be a different story.

So it was interesting to hear on the Baseball America podcast that they believe Gorman could be a midseason trade candidate. They said: “There are some outside the organization that believe Gorman won’t be with the team past the 2022 trade deadline.”

The key phrase: people *outside* the organization, not inside the organization. Now, talking from personal experience, there are plenty of people outside of teams who know information. The fact they are not with the team doesn’t mean their information is inaccurate, and it’s interesting that they are seemingly hearing this from multiple people.

But trading Gorman seems counterintuitive to what president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has been trying to build, and it’s why I have a hard time seeing any trade like this happening. After all, Gorman is now entrenched as the Cardinals’ long-term second baseman, and would shift to third base should Nolan Arenado opt out of his contract following the 2022 season.

Having Gorman on the roster gives Mozeliak and the front office a lot of flexibility. If they trade Gorman, and Arenado bolts after the season, then the Cardinals would be screwed. Sure, they have Jordan Walker looming in the minors, but he’s below-average defensively and there’s an increased belief his future could be in the corner outfield or even at first base.

Perhaps a potential Gorman trade is something to keep an eye on. For now, I’m skeptical, and I think you should be too. He’s in St. Louis to stay and it’s hard to imagine that changing anytime soon.