Nolan Gorman’s path with the Cardinals has reached a point where even an unconventional next step is worth discussing.
The 26-year-old, once billed as a power bat the club could build around after drafting him in 2018, has seen his stock fall hard. In 2026, his struggles got so severe that St.
Louis sent him down to Triple-A Memphis. With JJ Wetherholt locked in at second base for the long haul and Blaze Jordan potentially moving ahead of him at third, Gorman’s future in St.
Louis looks increasingly shaky.
That’s where the overseas possibility comes in. If Gorman can’t turn things around over the next couple of seasons, a move to Japan or Korea could become a real option. Both Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization value power, and players who can drive the ball out of the park are especially attractive in those leagues.
The style of play matters here. NPB and KBO are not as home run-heavy as Major League Baseball, with more contact-oriented hitters and, in recent seasons, a new baseball that has taken even more power out of the game. That makes a hitter with Gorman’s raw strength stand out, even if his overall profile has become a concern.
At the same time, the fit isn’t automatic. NPB has been described as a "Quadruple-A" level of baseball, and the pitching velocity is generally lower than in MLB.
Even so, Gorman’s current numbers in Memphis are rough enough to raise questions about whether he’d be able to handle that level right now. He is hitting .129 with a .578 OPS for Triple-A Memphis.
If the Cardinals do move on, the most likely outcome could be another major league team taking a chance on him first, hoping to rediscover the swing that produced 27 home runs and an .805 OPS in 2023. But if the strikeouts keep piling up and he doesn’t show progress as he gets closer to 30, Japan or Korea could be waiting.
There’s also the financial side. Players in NPB and KBO can make approximately 20 times the minimum minor league salary as of 2016, which makes the jump overseas far more than a fallback in practical terms.
And there is precedent for a return trip. Eric Thames struggled to stay afloat in MLB before thriving in KBO for three seasons and coming back as an above-average hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Still, the transition is not for everyone. Former MLB veterans who have played overseas have pointed to homesickness and language barriers as major hurdles, and they have said coaches generally avoid meddling with foreign players because of communication issues, leaving many to coach themselves.
For Gorman, the swing issues are obvious and the margin for error is shrinking. If his major league career keeps stalling, the power that once made him such an enticing prospect could be exactly what gets him a look in NPB or KBO.
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The appeal is obvious, but so is the caution. Santana has not been nearly as sharp this season, with the kind of command and contact issues that make a reliever harder to trust in a tight game, which is why the Cardinals would be looking at him as more of a low-risk flier than a sure fix. For a team trying to keep its relief options flexible, the question is whether there is enough of the old version left to justify a move now. [Read more 🡒]
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Thats why the next move matters so much. The organization has already shown it is willing to move recognizable names in the right deal, but the current crop of prospects gives it a different kind of leverage, and a different kind of temptation. The question now is whether St. Louis stays patient and protects the premium talent it has built up, or decides the moment is big enough to push chips in for a star with years of control. [Read more 🡒]
Former Brewers Reliever Already Resurfaced With An NL Central Team
Peter Strzelecki did not stay on the open market long after leaving Milwaukee, and the Cardinals moved quickly to bring the right-hander into the fold on a minor league deal. It is the sort of low-risk bullpen add teams make this time of year, especially when they are looking for experienced arms who already know how to navigate a big league season.
Strzeleckis path has been a winding one since 2022, when he began piling up major league appearances with Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cleveland, while also spending time at Triple-A with multiple organizations. For the Cardinals, the appeal is straightforward: add another arm to the system, keep the depth chart flexible and see whether a familiar name can give the relief group another option down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]