Would this St. Louis Cardinals-Seattle Mariners trade work?

We continue our look at hypothetical trades proposed by fans to former Major League Baseball general manager Jim Bowden by breaking down a suggested trade between the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Would this fan-proposed trade between the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals work in real life?

In this fan-proposed trade submitted to The Athletic (subscription required), a one-for-one trade is suggested, with the Seattle Mariners sending right-handed pitching prospect Emerson Hancock to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for top prospect Nolan Gorman, who saw time at both second base and third base last season for Triple-A Memphis.

The 19th overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft by the Cardinals, Gorman hit a career-high 25 home runs last season between Double-A Springfield (Mo.) and Triple-A Memphis. He also sliced his strikeout rate down to 22 percent while establishing a career-high in RBI (75), all while adjusting to a new primary position at second base. Gorman’s move was necessitated in part when the Cardinals traded for Nolan Arenado and the former Colorado Rockies All-Star started calling Busch Stadium home.

Gorman could well make his MLB debut this season, but the Cardinals are still seeing how their rotation will shape up. That’s where the trade for Hancock is intriguing.

The 22-year-old Hancock was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft and reached Double-A last season, posting a 3.29 ERA in three starts (13.2 innings) at that level. Like Gorman, it’s possible that Hancock could see MLB action in 2022.

So this fan-proposed trade involves a position player who is a franchise’s top prospect for a pitcher who is among the other franchise’s top prospects. Would it fly in the eyes of Bowman?

He believes that St. Louis would indeed make the trade knowing how the Cardinals value pitching and are looking to improve their rotation, even after landing Steven Matz in an offseason deal before the lockout went into effect. However, he believes that Seattle would reject the deal because, like the Cardinals, the Mariners are looking to make sure the rotation of the future is solid. Not even the potential of Gorman would be enough for the Mariners to let loose of Hancock, he believes.

Of course, nothing is sure about prospects until they actually perform at the MLB level. However, both Gorman and Hancock are causing plenty of excitement within their respective organizations for what is to come.

What do you think of the deal? Do you think the Cardinals would trade Gorman for pitching potential? Would Seattle value offense (Gorman could likely slot in at third base) over pitching by making this deal? Would you make this trade? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.