Should Cardinals Trade Fan Favorite To Clear Path For Former Top Prospect?

St. Louis has some challenging decisions to make this winter

Jun 9, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jordan Walker (18) celebrates with catcher Willson Contreras (40) manager Oliver Marmol (37) and bench coach Joe McEwing (77) after hitting a two run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have a busy offseason ahead, with a long list of challenging roster decisions that could significantly impact the club's competitiveness next year.

With the Cardinals committed to focusing on player development while reducing payroll, several stars could be traded for the betterment of the organization's future.

It's possible that the Cardinals player with the most jersey sales from 2024 could be traded this offseason. Could he be dealt to clear a path for a struggling former top prospect?

Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado has an expensive and complex contract that keeps him at bay with St. Louis through 2027. Consequently, he could be traded to clear room on the payroll.

If Arenado is dealt, a vacancy will open at third base. Although it might be challenging to give him a chance after a disastrous 2024 season, former top prospect Jordan Walker could supplant the six-time Platinum Glove defender at the hot corner.

Walker played most of this season with Triple-A Memphis after a horrendous start at the plate with St. Louis. Despite having a dominant rookie season in 2023, the young Cardinals slugger couldn't find his groove in 2024.

Given the recent revelation of how weak the Cardinals player development system is, perhaps Walker deserves a break. After all, he logged a .276/.342/.445 slash line with 37 extra-base hits including 16 home runs, 51 RBIs and 116 hits in 117 games played for St. Louis last season.

Due to Arenado being the Cardinals' solidified third baseman, Walker has been forced to play in the outfield, where he isn't comfortable.

The 22-year-old was drafted as a third baseman by the Cardinals as a first-round pick in 2020 but has been forced to learn the outfield because of Arenado's multi-year contract with St. Louis.

There's too much potential in Walker to give up on him after just one poor season. If he can play in his most comfortable position next year, perhaps he'll be able to focus more of his energy on hitting. Also, the organization will be hyper-focused on player development, so it might be possible that whatever went wrong in 2024 will be corrected with new coaching strategies.

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