3 tiers of solutions for St. Louis Cardinals third base woes

The Cardinals' offense heated up on Friday and Saturday, but prior to that, it had been going through it as of late. Some of that has to do with the run of tough pitching they've faced, but the majority of their struggles have come from the core of their lineup cooling a bit, while the bottom of the order remains a major issue. And third base specifically is a hole that seems complicated to fix.

Three positions specifically continue to be major issues for the Cardinals in terms of finding consistent production at the plate: center field, left field, and third base. Prior to playing on Wednesday, the Cardinals had the worst OPS in baseball from their center field group (.534 OPS), mostly weighed down by the terrible year that Victor Scott II has had at the plate. In left field, they rank 20th in the sport (.670 OPS), and at third base, they are 21st (.632 OPS).

Both outfield positions seem to have some natural answers to those woes, either on the roster or returning soon. Lars Nootbaa's return to the lineup this weekend was a much-needed boost to their lineup, as he will lift their production in left field in a meaningful way. His .747 career OPS would slot in 11th in basemuch-neededball among left field groups, and the Cardinals also have guys like Nelson Velázquez, Bryan Torres, Jose Fermin, and Nathan Church who can play there as well.

Speaking of Church, he can be an immediate solution to the Cardinals' center field woes when he returns as well, as his .672 OPS is a massive step up from Scott's .532 OPS. Fermin and Torres are also names that the Cardinals could give more run to in center.

Now for third base...the answers aren't quite as clean. Nolan Gorman has been one of, if not the worst, left-handed hitters in the sport since 2024, with over 1000 plate appearances, and he continues to show the same issues at the plate over and over again. At least back in 2023, after he had a terrible stretch at the plate, he would follow it up with a heater that saw him produce like one of the best hitters in the sport. Now? He is just either really bad, bad, or sometimes a bit above average for small stretches.

Early in the year, the strides Gorman had taken defensively showed signs of hope. If he can be an asset defensively, you can live with some of the woes at the plate. But that's begun to slip lately, and after almost 1800 plate appearances at the big league level, it's hard to justify playing him if other options arise.

That's the million-dollar question: Are there other options that make more sense than Gorman at the moment? And if so, what is the risk/reward of tapping into some of those guys?

Today, I want to take a quick look at four different routes the Cardinals could take if they wanted to try, and upgrade at third base, and who the options are that reside within each of those routes.

Route 1: Look to others on the roster

Ramon Urias*

The asterisk is necessary because he is still on the injured list, and while Ramon Urias was expected to return in the next few weeks, he just experienced a setback in his rehab. Now it is hard to know when he'll actually return.

The 2022 Gold Glove award winner for the American League at third base, Urias presents solid defense for the Cardinals at the position, even if he's not someone who will win any awards anymore. At the plate, Urias is a career 103 wRC+ bat, but he hasn't posted an above-average wRC+ since the 2024 season. Still, he's a solid, veteran option that already exists on their roster, and if they want to try and win games now, he may be the guy they turn to.

Bryan Torres

Recently added to the roster and making his MLB debut at 28 years old, Bryan Torres has been pretty solid for St. Louis, posting a .229/.308/.371 slash line in 35 plate appearances. Torres has only played in the outfield and second for St. Louis thus far, but he's someone who has experience at every position outside of pitching.

Now, he hasn't played third base in years, so that's something to keep in mind here and makes his selection as a third baseman less likely. Though it's not fair to rule it out, considering the Cardinals have played Thomas Saggese and Jose Fermin in center field this year for the first time in their careers.

Torres makes some sense to draw starts in the short term against right-handed pitching over Gorman if they want to make a change, and there are a few right-handed hitting options who could platoon with him.

Jose Fermin

Jose Fermin has not had consistent opportunities this year, but lately, he's been swinging a hot bat when he gets into the lineup. His season slash line is now up to .250/.315/.388 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 80 at-bats.

Fermin does not have any options, so he's someone who will likely continue to stick on the roster unless he declines in his production. He's able to play all over the field, and they don't feel obligated to play him. Since he'll already be here, perhaps Oli Marmol will see what he can do at third base more often.

Route 2: See what is down on the farm

If the Cardinals don't want to go to their other options on the Major League roster, maybe someone from the farm system can pique their interest at some point? There's no clear option right now, but here is who could rise to the top.

Thomas Saggese

Thoms Saggese was finally moved to Memphis on Friday, a move that is going to allow him to draw every day at-bats as he looks to get back on track. He's really struggled this year to the tune of a .184/.244/.276 slash line, and the Cardinals originally sent him to Memphis earlier in the season, but had to recall him 24 hours later due to Urias hitting the injured list.

Should Gorman continue to struggle, and Saggese finds his swing again in Triple-A, he's probably the guy with the most upside of any realistic option in the organization to replace Gorman right now. But, he has a lot to prove in Memphis before that's a conversation.

Blaze Jordan

For weeks now, many fans have been clamoring for Blaze Jordan to replace Gorman at third base. He's been on fire to start the year for Memphis, but he's unlikely to get a shot until the Cardinals feel like he's checked the boxes necessary in his development, and even less likely that they play him at third base.

Since the Cardinals called up Jimmy Crooks, Jordan has drawn just one start at third base. The organization is telling you with its actions, and you'll also get the vibe in conversations, that they view him as a 1B/DH type, not the heir apparent to Gorman.

His numbers in Triple-A have been very impressive, slashing .328/.384/.551 with nine home runs and 30 RBI in 49 games. He did struggle a lot for Memphis last year after being traded for, and it does seem like there are a few things left in his development that the Cardinals want to see before his call-up.

I don't know if Jordan is ready for St. Louis or not. If the Cardinals believe he needs more seasoning, I am inclined to trust their opinion on that one. Even if he were "better" than Gorman, which is a big if, that doesn't mean he's ready to succeed long-term, and that's what the Cardinals care far more about right now.

I know people like to forget this, but remember, someone like Gorman was tearing up Triple-A once upon a time, and the fan base clamored for him to be in St. Louis as the new shiny toy. Well, it hasn't worked out. Cesar Prieto was awesome to start the year in Memphis, and then went hitless in 17 plate appearances with St. Louis. Thomas Saggese won the Double-A Texas League MVP and then posted great numbers in Triple-A, and he hasn't done hardly anything at the big league level.

The point? Flashly slash lines and box scores in the minor leagues do not mean a player is going to succeed at the next level, and sometimes, a player needs more time than fans would think in order to succeed.

Jordan still chases 39.04% of the time, which is far too high, and only walks 6.9% of the time. There are also still legit question marks about how he'll handle third base defensively at the Major League level. If the Cardinals called him up today, I wouldn't be against it, but I totally understand why they have been patient here. His time may be coming soon.

Cesar Prieto

Considering how poorly things went for Prieto this season, I doubt he's going to be their solution at third base any time soon. He was worth -0.4 fWAR in just six games and 17 plate appearances due to really bad defense and zero production at the plate.

Ramon Mendoza

A sneaky option here, if the Cardinals wanted to give someone a shot, Ramon Mendoza will be 26 at the end of August and is Rule 5 eligible already, so the Cardinals don't have to play games to wait to add him to their 40-man roster. He posted a 136 wRC+ at Double-A last season, and has followed that up with a .295/.364/.468 slash line with Memphis this season. I doubt he's the next man up, but he could be an option at some point.

Route 3: Get creative on the trade market

Routes 1 and 2 seem like far and away the most likely options for the Cardinals during the season, but I will at least entertain the idea that they could make a move for someone outside the organization.

Making a move for a rental seems like the least likely option right now, as I just don't see the Cardinals moving much capital for a player that isn't going to be here long-term. There are two names who could be available in trade that I do wonder if the Cardinals would be interested in taking a swing at, who have club control.

Twins 3B Royce Lewis

I'm going to do a deeper dive on this soon, but man, Royce Lewis feels like a really interesting buy-low candidate. With two more years of team control after this season, if the Cardinals think they can get Lewis back to producing at a high level and can acquire him at a price they like, that feels like the kind of creative move that this new regime could pursue.

Lewis was the number one overall pick in the 2017 draft and showed elite upside early in his big league career, but he could never stay on the field. Since then, he's failed to recapture that upside, and injuries have limited him to 403 plate appearances or fewer in every season.

The Twins, who are rebuilding, optioned Lewis to Triple-A three weeks ago after a terrible start to the season. In the 15 games he spent there, he mashed 10 home runs, and was just brought back up to Minnesota.

Just like how Gorman may benefit from a change of scenery, so could Lewis, and if the Twins get the right offer, I imagine they would pull the trigger. It's hard to guess that his value would be in a trade, as he has extremely high upside but has not lived up to it in a while, plus he has a lengthy injury history. But man, he could really offer a lot of upside from the right side for the Cardinals' lineup.

Astros 3B Isaac Parades

The Houston Astros look to be heading toward selling at this year's trade deadline, and if they do, Isaac Paredes is a player I fully expect them to shop. He's actually not technically a rental, as there is a very affordable $13.4 million club option for the 2027 season if a team wants to exercise that.

Paredes is having a down year in Houston, but he's still been an above-average hitter (103 wRC+) and has a strong track record of production. The Cardinals could use another impact right-handed bat in their lineup, and Parades would qualify as one, especially if they are able to get him to tap back into his prior production.

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