Unlike last offseason, the Cardinals are heading into the winter without an obvious pile of veterans waiting to be dealt. A year ago, Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras all looked like candidates to be shopped before the 2026 season, and St.
Louis ultimately moved each of them. JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar also surfaced in trade talk, though both stayed put until the deadline.
This time around, the picture is much murkier. The roster is younger, and just about everyone is under team control through 2027. Even so, if the Cardinals make one move that stands out as the most likely trade of the offseason, Nolan Gorman is the name that jumps off the page.
Gorman entered last winter with a clear path in front of him. Arenado’s departure opened third base, giving Gorman a chance to seize the job and make it his own.
Instead, his bat never took off. His offensive struggles continued, and by June he was sent down to Triple-A.
He didn’t return until August, and that recall came more because the big league club needed bodies because of injuries than because he had forced the issue with his play in the minors.
At this point, the Cardinals don’t appear to view Gorman as the answer. They could choose to non-tender him this offseason and let him reach free agency, but there’s still a case for trying to get something back.
He’s only 26, and the power is real. In 2023, he launched 27 homers in his second big league season, and that kind of pop can still tempt another club into believing it can unlock more.
That’s why a trade makes more sense than simply cutting him loose. St. Louis likely wouldn’t land a major return, but even a modest deal would be preferable to losing him for nothing.
The Cardinals don’t have many glaring trade chips this winter, especially compared with last year. But if one player is most likely to be moved, it’s Gorman after another difficult season. The infield is largely spoken for, and while third base is still unresolved, the Cardinals have other ways to handle that spot.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face A Catching Decision That Could Reshape Their Depth Chart
As the Cardinals sort through the back half of their 2026 roster picture, the catcher situation has become one of the more important items on the docket for 2027. Rookie Leo Bernal has moved into position as the likely starter, which gives St. Louis at least one clear answer behind the plate, but the rest of the depth chart is still taking shape.
What happens next could have ripple effects beyond just one position. Pedro Pages is among the names being weighed for a backup role, but his limited offensive value and the clubs catching depth, which also includes Jimmy Crooks and Ivan Herrera, could make him a trade candidate as the Cardinals look to streamline the group before making their final call. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Rebuild Defining Choice At Third Base
Third base is shaping up as one of the more important decisions on the Cardinals road map to 2027, with the front office already looking ahead to how the position can help lift the offense. St. Louis is expected to explore both internal answers and outside help as it tries to improve the lineup, and the fit there will say plenty about what kind of roster it wants to build next.
Two very different names sit near the center of that conversation. Eugenio Suarez brings the kind of power that can change a game with one swing, while Luis Arraez offers a contact-heavy profile and the flexibility to move around the infield. The Cardinals do not have to choose immediately, but the direction they take at third could become a defining part of this rebuild. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face An Offseason Temptation That Could Derail Their Progress
The Cardinals are heading into an offseason that could say as much about their direction as any move they made during the season. With a young core in place, a strong farm system behind it and Chaim Bloom now entering his second year running baseball operations, the organization has reason to feel good about where it stands. Bloom has stressed patience and discipline as the club looks to build on its 2026 progress, even as the temptation grows to accelerate the timeline.
St. Louis does want to add veteran pitching and stay in the hunt for a Wild Card spot, which is where the tension comes in. The challenge is making those upgrades without getting pulled away from the long-term plan that has given the Cardinals a clearer foundation than theyve had in a while. Bloom called it a dangerous time to lose focus, and for a team trying to win now without shortchanging what comes next, the line between aggressiveness and drift may be awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]