14 Cardinals who won't survive Chaim Bloom's offseason overhaul

Lars Nootbaar

Another player who I think fans may end up feeling like they got the short end of the stick on when he inevitably breaks out for his new team, Lars Nootbaar, feels like he's a goner this offseason for a variety of reasons.

First, let's talk about his performance this year and his fit on the roster. This was easily Nootbaar's most disappointing season of his career, as he finally set a career high in games played with 135 but saw a major dip in his production in the process.

Nootbaar slashed .234/.325/.361 with 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 583 plate appearances, spending a large chunk of the beginning of the year as their leadoff man, then dropping in the order after going ice cold in the summer, and never truly regaining his footing when he came off the injured list. Nootbaar finished the year with a 96 wRC+ and 0.8 fWAR, by far the worst marks of his career thus far in full seasons.

What makes this even more frustrating is the fact that Nootbaar, for years, has shown his potential as a guy who can do a lot of damage at the plate while getting on base at a high clip, and he began the 2025 season red hot. But after another disappointing campaign, I'm not sure the Cardinals have the patience to wait Nootbaar out much longer.

The Cardinals' outfield is far from set in stone next year, but if Willson Contreras does stick around and JJ Wetherholt is assumed to be taking an infield spot, the Cardinals already need to find playing time for Alec Burleson, Victor Scott II, Brendan Donovan, Jordan Walker, and possibly others. Ivan Herrera is supposed to be catching again next year, which does help out with that mix.

This would be selling low on Nootbaar if the Cardinals dealt him this offseason, but with two years until free agency and already being 28 years old, I think Chaim Bloom is ready to get prospects back for him. Don't get me wrong, Nootbaar is still a valuable player, and I know contenders will make nice offers for him. But it just likely won't match the hype he came with for so long, but it's time to bite the bullet.