The Cardinals may be nearing the end of the Nolan Gorman experiment, but that does not mean they should simply walk away from him.
Gorman’s bat has been far too inconsistent for St. Louis to keep banking on a breakthrough.
He has not finished a season with a batting average above .205 since 2023, and in 2026 he hit .184 across 85 games, the lowest mark of his career so far. The power that once made him such an intriguing piece is still part of the conversation, but the production has not matched the promise.
He has topped 20 home runs only once in five major league seasons, doing it in 2023.
That is why the better move for the Cardinals is not to cut him loose, but to see whether there is any trade value left to squeeze out.
St. Louis probably would not land much in return, but there is still a case for getting something rather than nothing.
Gorman still has two seasons of team control remaining, and MLB Trade Rumors projected him to make about $3.4 million in arbitration this winter. That kind of number makes him manageable enough to at least put out there and see who bites.
At 26, Gorman is also young enough that another club could talk itself into a rebound. If he were on the open market, a team would likely take a flier on him with a minor league deal.
That 2023 season still hangs out there: 27 home runs, 76 RBIs, 119 games. It is the kind of line that can make a team believe there is still something to unlock.
The Cardinals have already given him years of runway in the majors, and the results have not held up. That does not erase the talent. It just points to a player who may need a fresh start somewhere else.
So the likely path is pretty clear: tender him a contract, then spend the winter looking for a trade partner before the 2027 season. Even a low-level prospect would be a better return than letting the story end with nothing at all.
In Other News...
Cardinals Bullpen Questions Just Got Bigger Around One Key All-Star
The Cardinals spent the trade deadline reshaping their roster and their future, dealing veteran pieces such as Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar to stock the farm system. Through it all, Riley O'Brien stayed put, even with his name floating through trade chatter as one of the clubs most valuable bullpen arms after a season that included an All-Star nod and a share of the National League saves lead.
Kyle Gibson has only added a new wrinkle to that conversation by suggesting on a podcast that O'Brien could surface as a trade candidate this offseason. St. Louis does control the closer through 2030, which gives the club plenty of leverage, but it also leaves the Cardinals facing another familiar bullpen question: whether to keep building around a proven late-inning arm or use his value to help accelerate the next phase of the roster shuffle. [Read more 🡒]
Albert Pujols Suddenly Feels Closer To A Surprising Managerial Opening
The Angels decision to decline Kurt Suzukis option for 2027 has opened up a managerial search that already feels like it could have a St. Louis flavor to it. John Mozeliak is serving as the interim general manager in Los Angeles, and one of the first names expected to come up is Albert Pujols, whose post-playing rsum already includes managing in the Dominican Winter League and the World Baseball Classic.
There is also another Cardinals connection in the mix. Randy Flores, St. Louis assistant general manager, is viewed as a candidate for the Angels front-office job, which only adds to the possibility that this search could wind up circling back to familiar names for Cardinals fans. Pujols has been considered for other managerial openings before, and with the Angels now under Stan Kroenkes ownership, the tie to St. Louis sports makes this one feel a little less far-fetched than it might have a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Revisit Familiar Red Sox Trade Path For Rotation Help
The Cardinals are already looking ahead to 2027, and the rotation picture still feels unfinished enough that another starter is expected to be on the shopping list. Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, Quinn Mathews and Matthew Liberatore are part of the current mix, while prospects such as Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin and Jurrangelo Cijntje could also factor in, but the organization appears likely to keep searching for more certainty at the front of the staff.
One familiar path would lead back to Boston, where the Red Sox have pitchers who fit the kind of trade conversation St. Louis has entered before. Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford both stand out as possible targets because of the Cardinals history with the Red Sox and the way their contract situations and health status shape the market. If St. Louis does revisit that route, the decision may come down to whether the club prefers a more established arm or a bet on availability and upside. [Read more 🡒]