The St. Louis Cardinals are in a position to make some sweeping changes in the offseason. While not many players are leaving in free agency, some of their key pieces could be trade chips to improve other areas of the roster.
For Curt Bishop of Fansided.com, the Cardinals could look to make some major trades in the offseason under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. He predicts that Bloom trades both Nolan Gorman and one of their outfielders in the offseason.
“The Cardinals need to clear space for some of their right-handed hitters, such as Thomas Saggese, Jordan Walker, and prospect Blaze Jordan.” Bishop writes. “And while top prospect J.J. Wetherholt hits left-handed, the Cardinals need to clear a spot in the starting lineup for him in 2026.”
The issue Bishop outlines stems from the team’s over-crowded left-handed hitters. One of those players is Gorman, who plays second base and third base.
With Nolan Arenado locking down third base for 2026 and 2027 (barring injury or a trade), and with Wetherholt potentially slotting in at second base, the Cardinals could look to part ways with Gorman in the offseason.
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Similarly, in the outfield, with Victor Scott II locking down center field, and Brendan Donovan taking over a corner outfield spot, one of Lars Nootbaar or Alec Burleson could be moved to clear space on the roster.
Fortunately, regardless of who is traded, the Cardinals would likely be bringing back strong value. Gorman, Burleson, and Nootbaar are all solid hitters and would draw significant interest if made available.
John Mozeliak held onto all of them at the deadline despite rumors saying they could be available. His successor could change things up in the offseason, when there is a stronger market for position players.
St. Louis has some roster reshuffling to do, and Bishop predicts that Gorman and one of the left-handed hitting outfielders could be on the move to make way for the new-look Cardinals offense.
It’s shaping up to be a busy offseason for Bloom and the Cardinals, as there’s plenty of roster decisions and movement that need to be made before the start of the 2026 MLB season.
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