GM with history of wild deadline trades is going after Cardinals' Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar

The San Diego Padres are exploring all options for left-handed bats, including St. Louis Cardinals’ Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson, per Jon Heyman. 

If we know anything about Padres GM AJ Preller, it is that he love to throw around crazy trades.

Padres AJ Preller could throw a wild trade offer to Cardinals for Lars Nootbaar or Alec Burleson

Nootbaar, 28, has been a fan favorite in St. Louis since he debuted—and for good reason. He plays a solid outfield, can slot into all three positions, and is no slouch on offense. 

This season, the lefty slugger is slashing .234/.333/.354. Good for an OPS of .688, with a 96 OPS+. Although the metrics have Nootbaar as a below-average hitter, most project him to find more success moving forward. 

“Noot” excels at getting on base, swinging at the right pitches, and has sneaky juice. Just this season, when he came off the IL, fans got to witness multiple blasts well over 400ft. 

What are the drawbacks? Sometimes, patience is less of a virtue and more of a vice. Nootbaar can watch his at-bats pass him by sometimes, and he has become infamous for the called third strike. 

Additionally, Nootbaar has a serious injury history and has struggled to stay on the field. Projections are one thing; production is another. Until the high-flying on-base tactician has a season where he puts it all together, the models will remain more of a shiny detail than an engine to run on. 

As for Burleson, the 27-year-old first baseman has put together a monster campaign. Whether it’s slapping baseballs at his chin for singles, turning on pitches and hitting them toward the Tarps Off section, or playing a really serviceable first base, “Burly” has been phenomenal. 

His slash line of .284/.347/.458 lands his OPS at .805 and places him 27 percent above league average. There aren’t many hitters in baseball who can compare to what Burleson’s been doing that are on this year’s trade block. 

The Padres' current best left-handed hitter may be veteran journeyman Gavin Sheets, who has made a name for himself by hitting home runs into "a sea of San Diegans" a time or two.

If a deal came to pass with either player, the Cardinals would milk extra value due to the Padres' depleted farm system. San Diego just traded for starter Robbie Ray from the Giants; they’re going for it. 

Fortunately for the Cardinals, they now know the Padres are trying to compete; they can sit back and wait for the godfather offer they desire. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow