Lars Nootbaar might return to a Cardinals team he doesn't recognize

When Lars Nootbaar first broke through with the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2021, he found himself rubbing shoulders with Yadier Molina, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Tyler O'Neill, Tommy Edman, Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, and a whole host of other established Cardinals talent.

By the time he makes his debut with the 2026 Cardinals, he may barely recognize the group surrounding him.

With the news that Nootbaar will begin the 2026 season on the 60-day injured list due to offseason surgery on both of his heels, the Cardinals and Nootbaar find themselves in an odd spot.

Most expected the first half of 2026 to be an "audition" for Nootbaar to find a new home with another team. The hope was he'd have a strong first half and cause a contender to come calling to acquire his last year and a half of team control. But now that we won't see him until at least the very end of May, will he even have a guaranteed spot in the lineup when he returns?

Will regular playing time be available for Lars Nootbaar when he returns to the Cardinals?

By the time Nootbaar returns to the Cardinals, there very well could be a spot wide open for him, but there's also a real possibility that the Cardinals' desire to play their young talent makes his fit rather unclear.

Jordan Walker could finally be establishing himself as the promising young talent that the Cardinals thought he would be. Nelson Velazquez may finally get his shot with the club and provide the right-handed power they are seeking. Thomas Saggese or Nathan Church could run with their opportunity early in the year. And honestly, by the time summer comes around, Joshua Baez may be having his name written into the lineup every day.

This is going to be an interesting needle for the Cardinals to thread. Nootbaar is a talented player who carries real trade value when he's healthy and producing, and acquiring more talent is in the best interest of the Cardinals right now. When Nootbaar returns, they may have to make a difficult decision to limit the opportunity of a rising player in order to showcase Nootbaar.

But at the same time, will one or two months of production really impact his trade value all that much? At that point, do the Cardinals just do their best to make a trade happen and get as much in return as they can while avoiding rocking the boat with their playing time provided to youngsters?

This may all end up being a moot point, as with Tommy Edman a few years ago, we may just see that timeline continue to linger, with Nootbaar's return manifesting in the late summer or even post-trade deadline. Perhaps the Cardinals will find a suitor interested in acquiring Nootbaar despite his not appearing in a game yet in 2026, just like Edman in 2024.

It would be a shame to see Nootbaar traded away for cents on the dollar, so hopefully the Cardinals can find a way to showcase him well when he does return that doesn't get in the way of their young core, or they can cross their fingers that the sentiment around him in the game is still high enough that they can net a solid return without seeing him play. The Lars Nootbaar experience continues to be a messy one, and we'll see how it unfolds as the year goes on.