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With just over two weeks to go until the trade deadline, the St. Louis Cardinals are teetering between being buyers and sellers. If they are buyers, expect marginal moves to protect a strong farm system. If they are sellers, the list of players who could be dealt is lengthy. While many people know about the obvious trade candidates from the Cardinals, some potential tradeable players may surprise fans.
We all know the most obvious trade candidates the Cardinals have. Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Ryne Stanek, and even Lars Nootbaar and Riley O'Brien have been mentioned as obvioustrade candidates from the Cardinals.
If St. Louis enters the market as true sellers, they have several other potentially enticing players who could alter the trade market on the whole.
These 3 Cardinals would be surprising players that Chaim Bloom could shop at the deadline.
RHP Andre Pallante
Andre Pallante has been the most consistent starter for the St. Louis Cardinals this year. He has a 3.96 ERA and a 4.01 FIP in 18 starts (100 IP). He's accumulated 1.4 fWAR, the second most among all Cardinals pitchers this year.
Pallante won't wow anyone with his stuff; he ranks in the 14th percentile in strikeout rate and whiff rate and 15th percentile in chase rate among all pitchers this year. However, Pallante is excellent at generating groundballs. His 55.1% groundball rate ranks second among all qualified pitchers in baseball.
Andre Pallante isn't a free agent until 2029, so he has plenty of team control left. For those teams that are looking for a controllable starting pitcher who can fit in the bottom half of the rotation, Andre Pallante fits the bill. In return, the Cardinals could ask for a controllable third baseman, a spot that has been a struggle for St. Louis this year.
C Leonardo Bernal
The Cardinals' catching depth chart is quite lengthy. Jimmy Crooks, Pedro Pages, and Ivan Herrera are in the majors. Leonardo Bernal, Rainiel Rodriguez, and Ryan Campos are all doing well in the minors. Something will have to give on the catching depth soon, and the deadline could be the place for it to happen.
Now, Leo Bernal is loved within the organization. He's a plus switch-hitting catcher who has received rave reviews for his game calling and control of a pitching staff. These are attributes that the Cardinals would love to have in the majors.
The Cardinals aren't beholden to any one of their catchers at the moment, but they've also shown signs that they want to see more out of Ivan Herrera and Jimmy Crooks behind the dish in the majors.
Bernal has a .272/.357/.453 slash line this year with 11 home runs through 74 games. He's having one of his best offensive seasons at the highest level of the minors. Teams like the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and the Boston Red Sox could all use catching help down the stretch.
3B Nolan Gorman
At the 2024 trade deadline, the Cardinals traded Dylan Carlson, a former top organizational prospect who was still young and was only in the first year of arbitration. Carlson had logged more than 1,600 plate appearances with the Cardinals, and his injury history paired with his below-average offensive profile (95 OPS+) made him an excellent change-of-scenery candidate.
This year, Nolan Gorman could be in the same boat.
Gorman will be owed about $1.2 million for the rest of the year due to his contract in his first year of arbitration. He's already received more than 1,800 plate appearances, and he has a 93 OPS+. He's been an average-ish defender at third base this year, but he's still been worth -0.3 bWAR through 62 games. Gorman is now in the minors, and he's shown zero growth down there.
I'm not sure if trading Nolan Gorman would be a change-of-scenery move or one where the Cardinals are simply trying to trim space on the 40-man roster. He still has power potential, and his left-handed swing may entice some teams looking for pop from the left side. His value, however, is at an all-time low. Don't expect a huge return if St. Louis trades Nolan Gorman.
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This article was originally published on redbirdrants.com as 3 surprising players the Cardinals could shop at the trade deadline.
