This Cardinals-Rockies Trade for Charlie Blackmon Could Actually Work

Outfield production has been hard to come by for the St. Louis Cardinals in recent years. Their outfield ranked 18th last year with a modest 98 wRC+ (below average), and things are only going to get worse now that Marcell Ozuna is suiting up for the Atlanta Braves.

But there are plenty of options available for the Cardinals to remedy their outfield woes, namely Colorado Rockies star Charlie Blackmon, a player they've been keeping an eye on for some time.

If the Redbirds were willing to send Harrison Bader and third base prospect Nolan Gorman, then they might be able to land the impact outfield bat they so desperately need.

In New York City last year, behind Charlie Blackmon, the #Rockies quietly revolutionized how they hit on the road. It sparked sweeping changes through their entire system. Inside their new idea to finally cure the Coors Field Hangover: https://t.co/ZGsos3z49y
— Nick Groke (@nickgroke) March 4, 2020

Bader would be the perfect big league piece for them to send to the Rockies. While his defense is superb, he has yet to produce consistently at the plate, posting just a .713 OPS across his first three seasons.

The Rockies and Coors Field, however, could give him the chance to find his stroke in a hitter-friendly environment.

Gorman adds in an extra bit of long-term value at what could soon be a position of need for the Rockies. The 19-year-old is the No. 38 prospect in all of baseball and would be the perfect backup plan, should they end up trading star third baseman Nolan Arenado.

19-year-old Nolan Gorman going down and getting one!

First #SpringTraining dinger of the year for the 2018 first-round #MLBDraft pick, who also has two doubles among his 7 hits in 23 at-bats.

Here he is on the brand-new #STLCards Top 30 Prospects list: https://t.co/ycIfWz0egN pic.twitter.com/G3aDebSYXH
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 4, 2020

In exchange, the Cardinals would receive Blackmon, a proven outfield hitter that they need. He has posted a 108 wRC+ or higher in each of the last five seasons, and a slugging percentage over .500 in each of his last four.

It's a win-win trade that helps the Cardinals solidify their team to contend now, while the Rockies try and shore up their roster for the future.