Cardinals looking to trade failed prospect after recent hot stretch

When the Cardinals traded Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras in the offseason, it felt like the end of one era and the beginning of another. Well, trading Nolan Gorman would have a similar feeling but for different reasons.

After once again failing to lock down a starting role with the Cardinals and instead being optioned to Triple-A Memphis, the Cardinals appear motivated to move on from Gorman, per multiple reports.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has been reporting Gorman's availability in trades for a few weeks now. Gorman, a first-round pick of the Cardinals out of high school back in 2018, slashed just .194/.279/.318 in 62 games with St. Louis this year, slugging seven home runs while striking out 32.3% of the time. His .743 OPS down in Triple-A won't inspire anyone, but he does now have eight homers in just 29 games, including two on Saturday.

Jeff Jones also reported the Cardinals would be "happy" to move on from Gorman in his Words on Birds newsletter on Sunday. Gorman is already making $2.655 million in arbitration this year and would be due a raise this offseason, a number which the Cardinals are unlikely to want to pay. If they are likely to non-tender him this offseason anyway, then finding value for him now would be wise, and it opens up a 40-man roster spot to make another call-up.

The Cardinals can expect very little in a trade for Nolan Gorman

I'm guessing there is some team out there that will take a flyer on Gorman, as it's just hard to find a player with the kind of power potential that he possesses. He did put it together for a season back in 2023, where he mashed 27 home runs in just 119 games with 76 RBI and an .805 OPS. Those are really good numbers for a 23-year-old, and it's just a shame he's been so dissapointing since then. The Cardinals tried to rehabilitate him in Memphis, and while it has worked some, they just have not seen the results they were hoping for.

I'm not sure Gorman is ever going to get back to a 118 wRC+ season, but a team would love to see if they can get above-average production out of him while he majors on his power output and draws enough walks to be Temu-Kyle Schwarber.

It would honestly be a really sad ending to this saga, much like what the Dylan Carlson experience felt like at the 2024 trade deadline, but the writing has been on the wall for a while. If the Cardinals don't find any value out there, they can see what he does in a recall to St. Louis down the stretch, and maybe he produces enough to get another contract this offseason or find a suitor for him there. He did see major improvements to his defense at third base this year, which means if he just gets his bat closer to league average again, he has value on a Major League roster.

Because any team acquiring Gorman would be seeing this as a project to rebuild him, I could honestly see pretty much any type of club looking into him. A contender could be interested in seeing if he can provide lineup depth or power in the future, likely stashing him in Triple-A as they develop him, or a rebuilding club could slot Gorman in at third base, second base, first base, or designated hitter and see what he does.

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