It's time for the Cardinals to have an uncomfortable conversation about their failed top prospect

For years, Nolan Gorman has been the St. Louis Cardinals top candidate to bring elite home run power to their starting lineup, but we've reached a point now where it's hard to justify trying to squeeze that out of him any longer.

Many would argue the end of the line should have come a long before now, but as the strikeouts continue to pile up and the defense falls back down to earth, the Cardinals have to start having real conversations about giving opportunities at third base to someone else.

Part of the reason that the conversation around Gorman has lasted this long has been the lack of a clear answer to replace him. Sure, the results haven't been consistently good for a while now, but who were they supposed to play over him? Thomas Saggese? Cesar Prieto? Jose Fermin? While some have argued for all three of those candidates at various times, none of them has truly done enough to force the Cardinals' hand, and most of the time, they've actually done the opposite.

At least Gorman had a really good offensive campaign to hang his hat on from 2023. That season, Gorman slashed .236/.328/.478 with 27 home runs and 76 RBI in just 119 games. His 118 wRC+ as a 23-year-old was super encouraging, and he looked like a player with a very bright future in the power department.

Well, since that season, Gorman has just 39 home runs in 274 games, and has yet to post a batting average above .210 or on-base percentage above .300 in any individual season since. Oh, and his slugging percentage continues to plummet, all the way down to .326 after Monday night's loss to the Texas Rangers.

Gorman turned 26 in May and is already in his first year of arbitration. He's only going to get more expensive over the next two years, and is now 1010 plate appearances and going on his third season removed from his great 2023 campaign, and hasn't even come close to being a league-average hitter since (85 wRC+ over the last three seasons).

Not only has Gorman continued to fail to show the Cardinals he can turn things around, but there is finally an interesting option in Triple-A who looks like he may be able to take Gorman's at-bats, and it may just now be time to make that uncomfortable change.

Blaze Jordan may have earned his chance to get some reps at 3B for the Cardinals

Blaze Jordan, whom the Cardinals acquired in the Steven Matz trade at the trade deadline, has been on a tear for Memphis this year, slashing .328/.384/.551 with nine home runs and 30 RBI in 49 games, posting a 142 wRC+ in the process. Just a year after looking completely overmatched at Memphis, Jordan seems to be owning Triple-A pitching.

Now, I'm personally not someone who thinks Jordan is likely to be a long-term solution for third base. But, I do think he is someone worth giving a look when they deem him ready, because he could end up being a really solid contributor for St. Louis, become a trade chip down the line, or even become that third baseman they've been looking for.

Jordan's defense at third base this year has looked better than in the past, but I'm not sure it's something that will play well at the Major League level. I think he can handle third base, but his bat is truly going to need to perform to make it worth having them there, barring continued improvements at the position.

Still, giving Jordan some "runway" at third base would represent the Cardinals turning the page on a failed prospect and finally getting another fresh face an opportunity. They've done that with Nathan Church, Bryan Torres, and Jimmy Crooks so far this year, and Jordan seems to be the next in line to deserve a shot.

Adding Jordan to the roster is complicated, but that shouldn't stop the Cardinals if they believe he is ready. They also have to manage how they deploy their 26-man roster over the next few weeks with the returns of Lars Nootbaar, Ramon Urias, and Church imminent. Perhaps Urias is the first player to eat into Gorman's playing time, along with Torres and Fermin, but it shouldn't be long before Jordan gets his shot if he keeps performing.

Whoever it is, at this point, I think most of us can agree that Gorman's grip on the third base job needs to lighten up significantly, and playing time needs to be earned from here on out. Yes, the power potential looms, but at some point, he has to perform to get the at-bats. He hasn't for a while now, and it's time for the Cardinals to act accordingly.

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