The St. Louis Cardinals have reached the point where selling at the trade deadline looks inevitable, and Lars Nootbaar has emerged as a name worth watching as the deadline approaches.
With St. Louis now out of postseason contention and sitting a couple of games under .500, the team is expected to move beyond the obvious trade chips. Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek are already viewed as candidates to go, but Nootbaar is also drawing attention despite the Cardinals setting a high asking price.
Under team control through the 2027 season, Nootbaar showed up on The Athletic’s latest trade deadline big board as one of the top potential names available. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees were identified as possible landing spots if St. Louis decides to deal him.
"One of the few veterans to survive the Cardinals' offseason roster purge, Nootbar missed the first two months of the season but returned in June looking sharp. If the Cardinals keep winning, they’ll surely hold onto their veteran bat, but if they slip, they’ve already made clear their intention to rebuild. Nootbar has played all three outfield positions, and he was a solid everyday player three of the previous four seasons (last year was the outlier)."
Nootbaar opened the year on the injured list and came out swinging once he returned, but his production has tapered off since that hot start. Even so, there’s still plenty for contenders to like. He can handle all three outfield spots with elite defense and remains an above-average hitter, which makes him a useful fit for a team looking for another bat.
Arizona and Tampa Bay both make sense on that front, while the Yankees could also get involved even if catching help is a bigger need for them. The market for Nootbaar appears to be heating up, and the Cardinals may eventually decide that moving him is the right play.
If that happens, St. Louis could turn to Joshua Baez to help fill the void. Nootbaar is also a fan favorite, so any trade would not go over smoothly and would leave plenty of people in the city unhappy.
Still, if the Cardinals receive the kind of offer they want, they will have to seriously weigh the possibility that Nootbaar’s time in St. Louis is nearing an end.
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