The Cardinals lost the opportunity to trade this slugger for a reasonable sum of money.
Moises Gomez, an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals in the minor leagues, had an impressive offensive season in the minors in 2022. Gomez had a slash line of.294/.371/.624 with 39 home runs in AA Springfield and AAA Memphis. He had a high strikeout rate of 34.7% and a pedestrian walk rate of 10.4%.
The Tampa Bay Rays signed Gomez as an international player, which was his first taste of professional baseball. His high strikeout rates infuriated Tampa Bay, which released him in 2021. St. Louis acquired him in the hopes of utilizing his raw strength. That was demonstrated in 2022, when he led the minor leagues in home runs. Although he has never been particularly good at defense, in 2022 he was able to compete in the corner outfield position with 9 outfield assists and a.964 fielding percentage.
His tendency to strike out notwithstanding, the power was undeniably present. A slugging percentage of.600 or higher is highly effective. He was by no means a young prospect—he was 24 for roughly half of the 2022 season—but he was still a rising talent with a potent hitting ability. Jordan Walker, Tyler O’Neill, Lars Nootbaar, Alec Burleson, and Brendan Donovan were all contenders to play left or right field in 2023, so St. Louis lacked a clear choice in the corner outfield position.
Because of his incredible offensive output, it made perfect sense for the Cardinals to consider trading Moises Gomez during the 2022–2023 offseason. Teams looking to add more power, especially in the outfield, were among those in the market last offseason, including the Miami Marlins, Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants. Even though Gomez’s defense was a little bit lacking, his bat would have more than made up for it. He would have fit in perfectly as a designated hitter for any club, especially since the position is filled in both leagues.
St. Louis decided to hold onto Gomez rather than trade him at the height of his value and even though the major league team didn’t need another outfielder. Gomez, who is now 25 years old, has reverted to his previous standards and is no longer a genuine prospect. Gomez’s slash line in 2023 was.232/.293/.457. He continued to smash 30 home runs, but his strikeout percentage (31.7%) remained high and his walk rate dropped to just 7%.
He was less likely to reach base and his power, especially when it came to home runs, declined. While playing at AAA Memphis for the entire season does limit home runs, it’s still impressive to see a nine-home-run decrease in more plate appearances. The Automated Strike Zone increased the number of walks among minors this year, but his walk rate decreased nonetheless.
The stock of Moises Gomez is currently at its lowest point. He is not a plus defender, he is 25 years old, he has lost some pop, and his strikeout rate has increased while his walks have decreased. His arm is strong, but he can only shoot so far. The outfielder is currently on the team’s 40-man roster merely to take up space; John Mozeliak ought to have looked into trading the player last season. Gomez might very well revert to his 2022 form this year, but it seems like the window of opportunity to trade him has closed.
