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3 players playing their final home games with the St. Louis Cardinals

It's safe to say these three Cardinals likely aren't back next year.
ByJosh Jacobs|
May 6, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) is congratulated by right fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) after hitting a two run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
May 6, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) is congratulated by right fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) after hitting a two run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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Lars Nootbaar

While many Cardinals players have disappointed this season, Lars Nootbaar is near the top of that list.

For years, Nootbaar has been the guy that many Cardinals fans and pundits have waited to break out, myself included. During his first full season in 2022, Nootbaar posted a 123 wRC+ while boasting a great feel for the strike zone and underlying power waiting to be tapped into. In 2023, Nootbaar posted a 118 wRC+, and in 2024, he was 14% above league average.

2025 presented Nootbaar with the chance to make himself an indispensable part of the club moving forward, but instead, he's had his worst season of his career.

In 99 games so far, Nootbaar has a .237/.324/.368 slash line with 13 home runs and 47 RBI while splitting time between the lead-off spot and the bottom half of the order. He mostly stayed healthy this year, but eventually proved that he still can't stay on the field consistently.

At this point, Nootbaar is just two years from free agency, has been injured every year of his career, forcing him to miss significant time, and he's not having the worst season of his career.

With Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker, and Victor Scott II all vying for playing time in the outfield, Nootbaar really does feel like the odd man out moving forward, and I fully expect the Cardinals to move on from him.

Even with how frustrating of a year it has been for Nootbaar at the plate, there will be plenty of teams interested in acquiring him. There is still plenty of potential in his profile, but at this point, I'm not sure it makes sense to hold onto him for the Cardinals. Frankly, the Cardinals need fresh starts all around their club, and Nootbaar feels like the perfect change-of-scenery guy for all sides.

I won't say never to him returning in 2026, especially if the Cardinals get good offers on other outfielders. No one should be untouchable on this Cardinals roster, and no one, besides Arenado, must be traded. But it does feel hard to imagine a world where Nootbaar remains in St. Louis.

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