Mar 16, 2019; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (22) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning of a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The Baseball America podcast dropped some surprising St. Louis Cardinals rumors, hinting that number one prospect Nolan Gorman could be midseason trade bait.
The bulk of St. Louis Cardinals rumors during the ongoing MLB lockout have suggested the team will look to bolster the bullpen with a high-leverage relief pitcher. The next Nolan Arenado isn’t walking through those arches. The team will need to, mostly, rely on what they already have.
Looking a little further down the line, a bigger trade could be in the works.
As Robert Murray of FanSided’s Redbird Rants wrote, the Baseball America podcast believes number one Cardinals prospect Nolan Gorman could be on the move by the 2022 trade deadline. Apparently, there’s only room for one Nolan on the team’s infield.
Cardinals rumors: Could top prospect Nolan Gorman be trade deadline bait?
MLB.com has Gorman rated as the number one prospect within the St. Louis organization. The 21-year-old first-round draft pick is coming off a strong season featuring a combined .279/.333/.481 slash line at Double-A and Triple-A. Add to it a total of 25 home runs and 75 RBI in 523 trips to the plate, Gorman is well on track to make the major leagues at some point in 2022.
These Cardinals rumors come from people “outside” of the organization. As Murray pointed out in his story, the troubling part for the Cardinals could be if they trade Gorman this summer and Arenado leaves for free agency once the year is over. He’s skeptical that the Cardinals would actually make the trade without knowing what their prized third baseman has planned.
A more promising path might be for this converted third baseman to continue on with St. Louis can join the infield as their starting second baseman. A lot will probably depend on where the Cardinals are at this year’s trade deadline. How desperate will they be to make the upgrade?
The Cardinals are set to open the 2022 season with Tommy Edman at second base, an about-average hitting infielder coming off of a Gold Glove performance in his first full major league season. For the right price, maybe Gorman is expendable.
You can probably tuck these Cardinals rumors in your back pocket to revisit later this year. How the team feels about Arenado’s future could have a lot to say about whether or not they pull the trigger on a deal or hold on tightly to an obvious heir to third base.