The St. Louis Cardinals have undergone a dramatic transformation this offseason, one that has left even the most loyal Redbird faithful feeling a bit disoriented. The departures of franchise icons Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Sonny Gray were difficult enough to stomach. But when Brendan Donovan was traded to the Seattle Mariners on Monday night, something shifted in the fanbase.
It wasn’t just the loss of a good player. It was the realization that Chaim Bloom’s long-term vision doesn’t have room for sentimentality. And now, as spring training games get underway, the murmurs have grown into a collective plea: Please don’t trade him.
“Him” is Nolan Gorman. And for a fanbase already grieving the departure of the “No. 1 fan favorite” in Donovan, the idea of watching the 24-year-old slugger launch home runs elsewhere feels like a bridge too far.
The Rebuild Nobody Asked For
To understand why Cardinals fans are so protective of Gorman, you have to understand the context of this offseason. President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has been ruthlessly efficient in his mission to strip the roster down to its studs. The goal is a youth movement, a chance to build a sustained contender around a wave of elite prospects like JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, and Rainiel Rodriguez.
The logic is sound. Bloom himself stated upon taking over that the team would be “long-term focused but isn’t willing to concede anything.” But to many fans, the execution has felt like a fire sale. By trading away beloved veterans, Bloom has cleared the decks, resulting in a projected 2026 payroll that is the lowest in the National League Central—a staggering reality for a franchise accustomed to competing at the top of the market.
The Brendan Donovan trade was the emotional gut punch. Now, the analytics-driven logic that justified that move points squarely at Gorman.
The Case for Keeping the Polarizing Power Bat
Nolan Gorman is the ultimate high-wire act. In 2025, his season was a microcosm of his career: extreme highs and crushing lows. He posted a wRC+ of 142 in June, looking like an All-Star, only to follow it up with a brutal 24 in September, leaving everyone scratching their heads. For the season, he hit just .205 with a .666 OPS.
But if you only look at the batting average, you miss the point. The underlying metrics tell a story of a player who is still just scratching the surface. When he connects, the ball travels. Gorman possesses the kind of raw, left-handed power that organizations spend decades trying to find. As one analyst put it, the Cardinals have been waiting for both Gorman and Jordan Walker to become the power hitters they were expected to be.
There are already signs of life in 2026. After a strong spring training, Gorman is now the everyday third baseman in the wake of the Arenado trade. Through the first series of the season, he is hitting .300 with a .900 OPS and has already launched a home run. More importantly, his swing decisions look better. The strikeout rate—which hovered near 34% last year—appears to be trending in the right direction.
If Gorman puts it together in 2026, he isn’t just a good player; he is a middle-of-the-order cornerstone. And that is exactly what a rebuilding team needs.
Why Bloom Might Pull the Trigger
This is where the anxiety sets in for Cardinals fans. Bloom didn’t come to St. Louis to fall in love with players; he came to build a winner. In Boston, he was forced to trade Mookie Betts. In St. Louis, he has already shown he will move anyone if the price is right.
Gorman’s timeline is awkward. He is entering his arbitration years and has only three years of team control remaining. In a rebuild that might not bear fruit until 2028 or 2029, does it make sense to hold onto a player who will be expensive and potentially gone by the time the prospects arrive?
The Cardinals’ infield is suddenly crowded. JJ Wetherholt, the No. 5 prospect in baseball, is expected to be the Opening Day second baseman. Masyn Winn is locked in at shortstop. Alec Burleson is manning first base. Thomas Saggese is waiting in the wings. While Gorman is currently playing third, his defensive home is not set in stone.
If Gorman has a breakout first half, his trade value will never be higher. Contending teams will pay a premium for a controllable power bat. For Bloom, who has stockpiled prospects but still needs to address long-term needs like starting pitching, moving Gorman for a young arm could be the kind of cold, logical move that defines his tenure.
What Fans Are Afraid Of
Cardinals fans have seen this movie before. They watched the team trade a young, powerful infielder named Randy Arozarena for a rental pitcher who barely moved the needle. They watched Luke Voit become a home run champion elsewhere. The fear is that Gorman, with his explosive power and undeniable charisma, becomes the latest in a long line of talented hitters who flourished after leaving St. Louis.
There is also the matter of identity. The Cardinals have long prided themselves on being a “Cardinals Way” organization—developing players who embody the city’s blue-collar toughness. Gorman fits that mold. He fights through slumps. He takes accountability. When he homered in the season opener, the ovation from the remaining fans at Busch Stadium was as much about hope as it was about appreciation.
Trading him would signal that no one is safe. It would mean that the 2026 season is strictly about development and draft positioning, not about competing. For a fanbase that has already watched beloved icons depart in rapid succession, that is a bitter pill to swallow.
The Bottom Line
The pleas from Cardinals fans are understandable. Nolan Gorman represents a tantalizing what-if. What if he cuts the strikeouts down to 25 percent? What if he stays healthy for 150 games? What if that light-tower power finally translates into the .260 average with 40 home runs that everyone has been dreaming about since he was drafted?
For Chaim Bloom, those questions are interesting, but they aren’t the only ones he’s asking. He’s also asking whether Gorman fits the timeline, whether his value will ever be higher than it is right now, and whether the prospect haul he could bring back would accelerate the rebuild faster than Gorman’s bat ever could.
The fans are begging him to keep the slugger. They’ve already lost Donovan. They’ve already lost Arenado. Losing Gorman before he truly breaks out would feel like giving up on the future before it even arrives.
But if the first few months of the Bloom era have taught Cardinals fans anything, it’s that this front office is building for the long haul—even if that means breaking a few hearts along the way. Whether Gorman stays or goes, one thing is certain: his next 100 at-bats might determine not just his future in St. Louis, but the trajectory of the entire rebuild.
And for now, the entire city is watching, hoping, and holding its breath.
