Outfielder in need of a breakout admits he was a subject of Cardinals trade rumors

The entire squad has arrived in Jupiter. While many players from the St. Louis Cardinals arrived in Florida well before the first official full squad workouts, the final player from the 26-man roster has made it to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

Lars Nootbaar reported to Cardinals Spring Training after being delayed due to his rehab.

Lars Nootbaar was the last player to report to Jupiter, but it was not due to any bad intentions surrounding contract disputes or the team's direction. The outfielder underwent surgery on both heels this offseason, and his rehab progression required the use of a zero-gravity treadmill. Because of all of the renovations happening at the shared facility, that specialty piece of equipment was unable to be delivered, which meant that the best solution was for Nootbaar to stay behind and continue his rehab until either the treadmill was delivered or he no longer needed it.

According to Jeff Jones and other St. Louis media in Florida, one of seems to have happened as Nootbaar reported to camp today. Without much clarity from Jones on the situation, we at least know that Noot is with the team and felt it was very important to be around the squad. As Jones noted, Nootbaar seems to at least be moving in the right direction in regards to his rehab, which is news of its own because we have not heard much on that front since the intial news of the surgery. With the report stating that the left fielder is able to hit and throw, it looks like he is on track to progress towards whatever running is next, be it on a treadmill or solid ground.

Possibly more interesting than his progress from surgery, Jones also noted that Nootbaar admitted to being in the know for potential trades. At the outset of the winter, we heard that there was plenty of interest in the 28-year-old, but the lack of clarity around his injury and the Cardinals holding out for his hopeful breakout kept him in St. Louis for the time being.

While we knew teams were rumored to be connected to Nootbaar, the left fielder confirmed those rumors and the fact that his representatives were reaching out to him might tell us more than it looks like. Rumors circulate every day of the year, and players usually brush them off and say something along the lines of how they understand baseball is a business but their job is to play as hard as they can for the team that they are on while the trades figure themselves out. This type of note from Jones could show that things progressed further than just the rumor stage, but like Jones says, this will be something to keep an eye on now that Nootbaar is in camp.

As he inches closer to making his return, his presence in the lineup could have a massive impact on the rest of the roster. He is lightly penciled into the starting gig in left field at this time, but that spot could very well be up for grabs if Noot's progress is delayed any further. The Cardinals were connected to outfielders who had the ability to play everyday, but ultimately decided against any outside additions. Now that Noot is here and moving towards full health, those rumors could be dusted off again soon.