Ranking the 4 Cardinals' pieces that they should put on the table for young pitching

#4 - Lars Nootbaar

Regardless of what my opinion is, it is reported that Lars Nootbaar is on the table alongside Jordan Walker when seems are calling. I get why the Cardinals feel that way.

Nootbaar is a Statcast darling, a very good defensive outfielder, a left-handed bat with great on-base skills and more power than he has shown this year, and yes, he's an international superstar. It's hard to imagine giving up such a steady outfielder when your outfield has been in flux for years now.

Here is why I rank him *slightly* below Jordan Walker, Brendan Donovan, and Masyn Winn and don't quite have him as an "untouchable" player.

Nootbaar is awesome, but at some point, if the Cardinals really want to acquire the pitching they desperately need, they can't take almost everyone off of the tablet. I am not shopping Nootbaar, and yes I am holding onto him above most players, but if he's the missing link to a trade for a controllable starter who could help lead the Cardinals rotation for years to come, I'm not sure the Cardinals can afford to just say flat our no.

Obviously, it all depends on who we are talking about though. It has to be an arm with legit upside, not some middle-of-the-rotation arm. Luckily, even if the Cardinals hold tight to Walker, Winn, Donovan, and Nootbaar, I think they still have three position players who can get a deal done for the arms they need.