Ranking the Cardinals' 6 most valuable trade assets they can sell at the deadline

1. Lars Nootbaar

This feels like more of an offseason conversation, but if a "baseball trade" were to become available that Chaim Bloom is interested in, I could see Lars Nootbaar's name being attached to such a deal.

Last year, the Cardinals traded Tommy Edman to acquire Erick Fedde, and I could see them exploring a similar path with Nootbaar being the centerpiece of a package for a starting pitcher with team control. This kind of trade is becoming more and more common at these trade deadlines, where even teams that are selling will also consider flipping players for other big league talent that can help them in future years.

Even with how rough things have been for Nootbaar this year, he's still been 4% above league average at the plate and has mostly stayed healthy this year. The Cardinals' young core seems to be taking shape without him, at least in my opinion, and there are other contenders out there who need and would value Nootbaar's production that the Cardinals can approximate through other players on their roster.

Nootbaar has been a well above league-average hitter for his career heading into 2025. From 2022-2024, Nootbaar had a 118 wRC+ and .777 OPS, with his main issue being his inability to stay on the field. He's always been the Statcast darling, but he wasn't just that. His 118 wRC+ over that is tied for 58th among the 230 qualified hitters, putting him in the top 25% of hitters in wRC+.

No, he's not a middle-of-the-order bat that is going to carry a team, but when Nootbaar is right, he's a bat that can make a big difference on a contender. Over the last few years, the Cardinals' lineup as a whole has struggled to find any kind of consistency, and I have a strong feeling that if Nootbaar finds himself on a team where he's not expected to carry the load, he's going to produce much closer to 20% above league average or better, rather than the closer to league average hitter he's been this year.

With two years of control remaining, Nootbaar would be a coveted piece if he's made available, and like Helsley, I am sure there are teams out there who believe they could get the best out of Nootbaar if he were on their club.

The Cardinals do not need to force a Nootbaar trade at this deadline, but it certainly would help clear some of the clutter from their roster as they look to commit to a core and prepare for the arrival of JJ Wetherholt. With Alec Burleson firmly in the mix for corner outfield playing time and Ivan Herrera expected to get reps there soon, it feels like the Cardinals are preparing for life after Nootbaar.

If the Cardinals can find pitching they like for the future and can use Nootbaar and some other pieces to go get it, they should let Bloom consider that between now and July 31st.