Cardinals News: Lars Nootbaar makes history, Willson Contreras WBC, and the MLB Draft

The St. Louis Cardinals had a miserable road trip through New York and Atlanta, but the news surrounding the team has certainly churned on.

Lars Nootbaar walks his way into Major League Baseball history.

When Laws Nootbaar took a leadoff walk against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon, he not only placed himself in the top six in MLB in the category, but he also made Major League Baseball history.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Nootbaar's leadoff walk was his eighth of the year in such a spot. He tied an MLB record that was set 50 years ago for the most walks in the first month of the season. Lopes reached his mark in 1975 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Nootbaar has a chance to surpass Lopes, as the Cardinals still have six more games to go in the month. His 20 walks are tied for the sixth most in baseball this year, and his 17.7% walk rate is the best mark for his career. Noot has been an excellent table setter from the first spot in the lineup this year.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been given their bonus money for the MLB Amateur Draft.

The St. Louis Cardinals drew the fifth overall pick for the 2025 MLB Amateur Draft. While the draft is still months away, teams have kicked their planning process into high gear ever since the collegiate season started. Now, clubs have an idea of how much money they'll have to spend during the draft this July.

The Cardinals were allotted $14,238,300 for this year's draft according to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline, and they added $2,610,500 by virtue of jumping from the No. 13 spot to the No. 5 spot in the lottery.

This figure isn't the maximum for the Cardinals, as they have surpassed their allotments each year of the Draft. They'll have slightly more than $8 million to spend on their first-round pick.

Willson Contreras has an interest in playing for Team Venezuela during the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

In Willson Contreras's first chance to play in the World Baseball Classic, the catcher was entering his first full season with the Chicago Cubs. Therefore, he didn't want to hurt his chances to make their big league squad.

After he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, Contreras decided to sit out the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He credited his absence to a desire to get to know his new team's coaching staff and pitchers, as he would now be the Cardinals' everyday catcher.

While Contreras didn't openly express any regret in his decision, one can assume that the fiery backstop wanted to represent his home country of Venezuela. With the 2026 World Baseball Classic less than a year away, Contreras will be given a second chance to play for Venezuela on the world stage.

According to Julian Guiliarte, a correspondent for Our Esquina, Contreras has every desire to play for Venezuela in 2026. "Representing your country. It means a lot. I’ve been wanting to play for the last two of them," said Contreras. "If I get an invite and they want me there, I'll be there."

The 2026 World Baseball Classic offers Contreras a chance to represent his homeland, something he's wanted to do for his entire career. He has every intention of playing for Team Venezuela come 2026.