Aug 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a single during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images William Liang-Imagn Images

Cardinals 27-Year-Old Fan Favorite Listed As Offseason Trade Candidate

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals were sellers at the trade deadline and finally committed to a much needed rebuild. They are 58-58 and well out of postseason contention, even after a series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They traded away three pitchers on expiring contracts to boost the farm system.

It likely will be several years before the Cardinals are back to being a perennial postseason contender. Future President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom takes over for John Mozeliak at the end of 2025 and will be making the main decisions going forward.

The Cardinals could potentially trade some players away this coming offseason. They have a lot of left-handed bats in their mix, including Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently listed Nootbaar as a possible trade candidate.

Cardinals Fan Favorite A Candidate To Be Dealt This Offseason

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Nootbaar, Burleson and Donovan were all drawing interest from contending teams. However, St. Louis chose to hold onto all of them and limit their deadline sale to just their three rental relievers. But Nootbaar could be of interest this offseason.

"Despite middling numbers this season, Nootbaar is capable of making a significant impact. He posted a 116 OPS+ and a .351 on-base percentage in the three seasons prior to this year, and while he fits best at a corner spot, he has also played a passable center field. Earning just $2.95 million this year, he should still carry an extremely reasonable price tag next season in his second year of arbitration," Reuter wrote.

Nootbaar can play all three outfield positions and is an elite defensive player. His offense has been hard to come by this year. He is hitting just .229/.328/.378 with 12 home runs, 40 RBI and a .707 OPS.

The fan favorite outfielder made his Major League debut back in 2021 and seized a starting role the following year. He has endeared himself to Cardinals fans, but if the team is rebuilding, then he is somebody that could be shipped out to clear out the logjam of lefty bats.

St. Louis needs controllable starting pitching for their minor league system, which is depleted at the moment. Nootbaar may not bring back elite prospects, but he could help the Cardinals fill out their pitching depth if made available in a trade.

It will be interesting to see what St. Louis decides to do.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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