The Cardinals’ rebuild took another step forward with the Lars Nootbaar deal, and this one fit the pattern they’ve been following since the offseason. St. Louis moved a controllable piece in Nootbaar and came back with two Double-A arms, continuing a clear push toward the long-term future.
The trade sent right-hander Daniel Eagen and left-hander Sandro Santana to the Cardinals, while the Diamondbacks landed Nootbaar.
For Arizona, the move finally answers a need that had been hanging out there for a while. The Diamondbacks came into this with close to 50 percent playoff odds, yet they had been unusually quiet before adding a bat for the outfield.
Left field had given them almost nothing this season, and they carried the majors’ lowest wRC+ against right-handed pitching. A left-handed outfielder was the obvious target, and Nootbaar checks the boxes: he has a good arm, can handle all three outfield spots, and has had success against right-handers over his career.
In a market short on difference-making outfielders, he was the right fit.
St. Louis, meanwhile, keeps leaning into the same blueprint.
The Cardinals have mostly moved expensive veterans or players on expiring deals, but they’ve also shown a willingness to deal controllable players when the return makes sense. They already sent Brendan Donovan to the Mariners this offseason, and now Nootbaar joins that group.
Like Donovan, he was drafted in 2018 and was under team control through next season. For the Cardinals, that made him movable - and the return of a pair of Double-A pitchers fits the rebuild they’ve committed to.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Trade Deadline Focus At First Base Is Getting Interesting
The trade market is starting to tilt toward a familiar summer bargain hunt, and first base has become one of the spots Arizona could try to shore up before the deadline. With St. Louis slipping in the NL Wild Card race, the Cardinals look more likely to listen than to add, and Alec Burleson has emerged as one of the more appealing names on their roster thanks to a strong season and a contract that runs for two more years at a reasonable price.
For a Diamondbacks club still trying to keep pace in a crowded race, the appeal is obvious. Burleson brings offense, team control and the kind of cost certainty that can matter when clubs are weighing how aggressive to be in late July, but a move like this usually comes down to how much competition builds and how far Arizona is willing to go to solve a position that has been anything but settled. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Deadline Push May Come Down To One Costly Rotation Call
The Diamondbacks are still working the phones as the trade deadline nears, and one of the more intriguing possibilities has them looking at the left side of the pitching market. Arizona wants to add another arm to the rotation mix, and the Angels, already deep into sell mode after a busy season of dealing players away, look like a logical partner for a club trying to sharpen its October path.
What makes this one especially interesting is the price. Arizona has been weighing a package built around two left-handed pitching prospects, Kyle Drake and Cooper Hjerpe, which speaks to how seriously it is considering the move and how much it values another controllable starter. The question now is whether the Diamondbacks are willing to pay that kind of prospect cost for a rotation upgrade before the deadline clock runs out. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Made A Rotation Move Arizona Fans Cant Ignore
The Padres have added another familiar name to a National League West rivalry by landing veteran left-hander Robbie Ray in a trade with the Giants. For Arizona, it is the kind of move that gets attention quickly, because any rotation change in San Diego can ripple through a division where the margins are already thin and every series tends to carry extra weight.
San Francisco will get minor-league prospects Miguel Mendez and Joniel Hernandez back in the deal, and the clubs will split the rest of Rays salary this season. Even without the full details of how San Diego plans to deploy him, the trade matters for the Diamondbacks simply because it strengthens a division opponent while reminding everyone how quickly the landscape can shift this time of year. [Read more 🡒]