Grading reader submitted trade proposals for the Cardinals

St. Louis gets one of Toronto’s surplus of catchers

Submitted by @dansaint5879

Cardinals receive: C Alejandro Kirk

Blue Jays receive: 2B/3B Nolan Gorman and a mid-tier prospect

Grade: A-

This looks like something that could get pulled off in the coming weeks and months between the Cardinals and the Blue Jays. If Gorman’s name was replaced with Dylan Carlson or Lars Nootbaar, this trade would have received and even better grade. Alejandro Kirk would be a fantastic addition for the Cardinals.

The Blue Jays just let go of two outfielders, non-tendered Raimel Tapia and trading away Teoscar Hernandez. Toronto really wants to bring in a left-handed, outfield bat, and that has led many to believe that the Cardinals could be perfect trade partners with the Blue Jays. Even so, grabbing an emerging bat like Gorman may be too appealing for Toronto to be picky about positional fit.

The Cardinals desperately need a catcher this offseason, and they could kill two birds with one stone by also getting the impact bat they need in Kirk. The recently turned 24-year old slashed .285/.372/.415 with 14 HR and 63 RBI for Toronto last season and was named an American League All-Star and the AL Silver Slugger at catcher. The Cardinals would go from one of the worst hitting situations at catcher in 2022 to one of the best in baseball in 2023, a dramatic improvement for the club.

I still think Toronto would want Nootbaar or Carlson in a deal, but if this trade were to go down, I would not be surprised in the least.