Cardinals Option Nolan Gorman

The Cardinals have announced that infielder Nolan Gorman has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Fellow infielder José Fermín has been recalled from Memphis as the corresponding move.

For Gorman, it’s his first optional assignment in almost two years, as his last one came in September of 2022. Last year, he seemed to cement himself as a key piece of the club’s future, getting into 119 games and hitting 27 home runs. His 31.9% strikeout rate was quite high but he also walked at an 11.4% clip and provided that aforementioned power. His .236/.328/.478 batting line translated to a 118 wRC+, indicating he was 18% better than league average on the year.

Things have fallen off here in 2024, however. The power is still there, as evidenced by his 19 home runs, but his strikeout rate has climbed to 37.6%. Among qualified hitters in the league, that’s the highest in the league by a decent margin. Zack Gelof is at 35.2% and everyone else in the majors is below 32%. With Gorman’s walk rate also ticking down a bit to 8.5%, he has a .203/.271/.400 batting line and 87 wRC+ this year. He’s not considered an especially strong defender at second, so the declining offense is a real hit to his value.

The Cardinals were close enough to contention that they bought at the deadline, acquiring Erick Fedde, Tommy Pham and Shawn Armstrong. But they’ve had a rough August, going 5-12 on the month, including a 2-8 stretch in the past 10 contests. They have fallen to six games back of a Wild Card spot and have been shaking up their roster in recent days. Yesterday, infielder Brandon Crawford was released and outfielder Jordan Walker optioned down to the minors, with Gorman now following him down.

Utility player Brendan Donovan has seen a decent amount of second base this year and could perhaps take over at the keystone more regularly. With Pham’s addition to the outfield mix, Donovan won’t need to be on the grass as much, with Victor Scott II, Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar out there alongside Pham. Fermín can effectively replace Crawford and Gorman, as he can play both middle infield spots, as well as third base and the outfield corners a bit. He’s hitting .311/.424/.500 in Triple-A this year.

For Gorman personally, this optional assignment won’t impact his path to free agency but could cost him a chance at Super Two status. He came into this season with one year and 139 days of service time. He has already blown way past the two-year mark and would have finished 2024 at 2.139 if he stayed up all year. Based on past cutoffs, he would have had a strong chance at qualifying for arbitration this winter as a Super Two player. That could still be the case if he is quickly recalled, though every day that he spends in the minors will lower his chances.

The Cardinals used the 19th overall pick on Gorman back in 2018 and he was one of their top prospects on his way up the minor league ladder. They likely still view him as a key part of their future but he will have to earn it. “Obviously, it’s a game of production up here and at some point, you’ve got to consistently produce, or we have to find someone who can,” president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said yesterday, per John Denton of MLB.com. “I mean, that’s what it ultimately comes down to, and these are hard messages to hear. It can be frustrating, but this is what ends up defining you. With our offensive struggles this year, I think you can strictly look at the inability for consistent performance, day in and day out.”

Gorman will still have two option years even if he uses one here in 2024. That means the Cardinals could potentially keep him as a depth guy for quite a while if he doesn’t force their hand. Pham, Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter are all slated for free agency this winter, which could open up some playing time. They likely have some degree of interest in bringing all of them back, certainly with Goldschmidt, but Burleson or Luken Baker could theoretically take over at first base or designated hitter. That could then see Donovan slide back to more of an outfield role if Gorman can push his way into the picture, though the club’s offseason could also completely change the picture by next year and prospect Thomas Saggese is lurking in Triple-A.