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How the St. Louis Cardinals trading Jordan Walker to the Seattle Mariners makes sense

By Jared Wolfe

Apr 8, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jordan Walker (18) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jordan Walker (18) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 17, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) throws against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 17, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) throws against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Examining a potential St. Louis Cardinals-Seattle Mariners trade

Trade #1:

St. Louis Cardinals (Receive)-

  1. Logan Gilbert (Age 26)- SEA (RHP) – Starting Pitcher
  2. Emerson Hancock (Age 24) – SEA (Double A – RHP)- Starting Pitcher

Seattle Mariners (Receive)-

  1. Jordan Walker (Age 21)- STL (RHB) – INF/OF
  2. Nolan Gorman (Age 23) STL (LHB) – INF

Why this works:

Both sides of this deal have surplus in what they are giving up.

The Mariners, although it stings at the surface, have plenty behind Logan Gilbert in terms of young starting pitching. The St. Louis Cardinals prefer to have a for sure ace by choosing the more experienced of the bunch, especially since they need him to step in line as their front-line ace in 2024. He currently is their best pitcher this season in my opinion with a 3.47 FIP.

On the flip side for Walker, the St. Louis Cardinals, for how much they love him and his future potential, it begs the question of where does he fit in the field? If they are truly unwilling to give up Nolan Arenado or Paul Goldschmidt as Mozeliak said today, he will have to be a DH or continue in the outfield (where he has been miserable to watch). He just does not fit the roster construction with those two blocking possible infield positions, and especially with Willson Contreras seemingly placed in the DH role.

Nolan Gorman is an upgrade long term for the Seattle Mariners in his primary position of third base, and he can be spotted periodically at second, or as a DH. He is a solid left-handed bat that is at minimum league average. This season, he was a real spark plug early on, even though he regressed recently his potential is certainly high.

Lastly, Emerson Hancock is thrown in there to add more depth to the St. Louis Cardinals possible young arms coming up in 2024. Per FanGraphs, he is projected to have a future value of slightly above Major League average with a good fastball, change-up, and slider combination. He currently owns a 4.34 FIP in Double-A and a very high 10.03 strikeout per nine innings. The high strikeout rate is a pivot the St. Louis Cardinals seem to be moving towards.

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