Cardinals fan favorite could be next trade chip

The St. Louis Cardinals continue their offseason sell-off with rumors coming in from Queens of interest in outfielder Lars Nootbaar (before the Luis Robert trade). The Redbirds front office has already made it known they are ready to move on from assets that aren’t seen as a part of the team's future. "Noot" fits that bill. 

Nootbaar, 28, has two more years of team control before hitting free agency. The seasoned outfielder managed to leap over what’s been his biggest early-career hurdle by staying on the field for 135 games in 2025. Despite his availability, Nootbaar didn’t register acceptable numbers. The 28-year-old slashed .234/.325/.361 while only swatting 13 home runs. Nootbaar continues to draw walks at a respectable clip while rarely swinging and missing. He’s built a foundation as a hitter who’s a tough out. With his defense being subpar, Nootbaar must find a way to maintain his offensive prowess. 

The key to Noot reaching his full potential as a hitter lies in the slug of it all. From 2024 to 2025, Nootbaar’s slugging percentage dropped 56 points. He still hits the ball hard, and his bat speed hasn’t dipped; it may just take a few tweaks to approach to get baseballs in the air to the pull side again. If Nootbaar starts to lift the baseball to right field in damage counts, he’ll likely get fewer pitches to hit, enabling his eagle eye to command more at-bats. 

Lars Nootbaar has the tools to be the Cardinals next top trade chip

Unlike All-Star Brendan Donovan, who should be moved before Opening Day, Nootbaar remaining a Cardinal until the trade deadline seems feasible. Donovan is in a situation where he is coming off a career year, and value is at an all-time high. When players hit peaks like that and the team they’re on dwells in a valley, it makes strict business sense to ship them off for the next wave of Redbird youth. In Nootbaar’s case, his 2025 season was one of his worst. Giving the left-handed slugger another opportunity to regain value is a low-risk/high-reward situation for St. Louis. 

If Nootbaar were to flounder or find himself on the all-too-familiar injured list, the package he would’ve brought back to The Lou wouldn’t have been anything to phone home about. Now, if Nootbaar goes out and earns an All-Star nod (which he’s entirely capable of doing), St. Louis can use the desperation of the trade deadline and recency bias to bloat the asking price until they see fit. 

Nootbaar may end up being yet another chapter in this Cardinal rebuild, but if this is the end for the bright-smiling, high-flying, always energetic homegrown Redbird, it sure was fun.