Thomas Saggese might make this struggling Cardinals' slugger expendable

I recently reflected on how rookie infielder Thomas Saggese has so many intangibles that St. Louis Cardinals fans tend to love in a player. Don't mistake that for me saying he's going to be a star in this league or even a well-above-average player, but I do see him becoming a fan favorite rather quickly.

When it comes to the future of Saggese in St. Louis, I think it is at least fair to say that he will be a valuable piece for their bench next year. Rather than having a guy like Brandon Crawford taking up a roster spot, Saggese will provide utility at second base, shortstop, and third base while also providing the Cardinals with a right-handed option in those situations. That is a much better-fit roster construction-wise than what they rolled with the majority of this year.

I'm sure the Cardinals would love to see Saggese be so productive that he has to play nearly every day, but my guess is that the plan, for now, is that Saggese plays often, more so than the traditional backup, but is not an everyday player per se. That's a manageable role for a young player finding his way at the Major League level and also one that can be impactful for the Cardinals in 2025.

What I want to think about today is the potential of asking more out of Saggese. I'm not talking about him being penciled in as an everyday starter for 2025 this offseason, but what if Saggese's presence on the roster opened up the Cardinals' ability to shop a different infielder of theirs who has been struggling?

Thomas Saggese's emergence could make Nolan Gorman expendable for the Cardinals

Some people already want Nolan Gorman gone due to his struggles this year and have zero faith in his ability long term. I am not one of those people. I still think Gorman can become a very productive big-league hitter like we saw in 2023, but it's also fair to say the Cardinals need to start making some hard decisions with their current group of bats.

As someone who has been optimistic about the young core of position players they have, I also have to be realistic in acknowledging it's been a really rough two years for this offense now. Well, maybe it would be better to say the last year and a half. The unit was performing like a top 10 group in baseball as recently as the first three and a half months of 2023, but everything has fallen apart since then.

The blame can be pointed at so many different people. It's clear that there needs to be changing to the hitting staff, the regression of veterans like Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado has been a major hit to the lineup, but it is also fair to say that most of the Cardinals' young bats have taken steps back as well.

Gorman may have experienced the greatest regression of that group outside of maybe Jordan Walker. Gorman posted a .236/.328/.478 slash line with 27 home runs and 76 RBI in just 119 games played last year. His 118 wRC+ was actually tanked by a terrible month of June, as in the months of March/April, May, July, and September, Gorman posted a wRC+ north of 135 per month. Gorman looked like a force at the plate and the kind of left-handed power bats teams dream of having.

But this year has been anything but that. Gorman was 13% below league average at the plate and posted a .203/.271/.400 slash line with 19 home runs and 50 RBI in 107 games. His 37.6 K% would go down as the worst K% by a player in a full season of baseball history outside of the pandemic-shortened 2022 campaign. Gorman has looked completely lost at the plate and it's hard to know if he will ever regain his form again.

Gorman's stint in Triple-A thus far has been, well, more of the same. His K% is way down (18.8%) in his 80 plate appearances, but that is to be expected when dropping down competition levels. Sure, it is encouraging, but the results have not followed as his slash line is just .205/.263/.479 (although his BABIP has been extremely unlucky).

The Cardinals need to make changes to their offense next year. I could see them believing that a new coaching staff will be a major part of the solution, but it also feels like they are going to need to turn over some of their roster. Gorman's name stands out as one of the more likely candidates to be moved.

Outside of his regression offensively, his defense has suffered as well. It just does not make much sense to play him over a Brendan Donovan at second base right now, especially with Donovan likely moving away from an everyday outfield role next year. Sure, Gorman can DH some, but his fit on the roster is getting a bit murkier.

The Cardinals should not trade Gorman unless it is in a deal that makes sense for them and makes them better. This is not a Dylan Carlson or Tyler O'Neill situation where it's clear they just have to move on, but I do think it's fair to say they should be open to moving Gorman.

Part of that reasoning goes back to Thomas Saggese. Saggese presents the Cardinals with an intriguing option in 2025 to replace some of Gorman's playing time. Saggese can start at second base against left-handed pitching while being used as a utility man off the bench other days, starting when guys like Donovan, Masyn Winn, or Nolan Arenado need rest or coming into a game late against left-handed pitching.

Saggese is not the same type of player as Gorman, but he does present some strengths that may complement this Cardinals' roster better. Saggese's defense is just flat out better than Gorman's and he also has the ability to play shortstop. Saggese's right-handed bat is a good fit for a left-handed dominant order. And while I have tried to temper expectations of Saggese's talent in this story, I do think he has the potential to be an impactful player next year whose role can grow as the season goes on.

The uncertainty we still have regarding who Saggese is as a player is one of the reasons I have been frustrated that they did not call him up sooner. Keeping Saggese in Triple-A during the first half was the right call with how he was struggling, but I would have loved to have seen him in early August to give him about two months of run time for this club. That still wouldn't necessarily be enough time to make a decision on his ability for 2025, but having more data points to work with would've been great.

The Cardinals moving Gorman this offseason would not be a decision they make just because Saggese is here now - but it could add to the reasons they decide to pull the trigger. Even if they trade Gorman this offseason, I think it means we are seeing Donovan entrenched as the everyday second baseman more than we are seeing Saggese a whole lot more, but I do believe it would allow Saggese to play more often and fill a more important role on the roster.

Like most things, the fate of Gorman is likely dependent on how the Cardinals handle some other roster decisions, as well as the market out there for him. Again, I highly doubt they are going to dump him for nothing, and I'd rip them for that if they did, but at this point, I don't think they can rule out dealing almost anyone on the roster.

Saggese should have a role with the big league club in 2025, but the fate of Gorman could really increase the amount of opportunities he has on this roster.