Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar Called 'Possible Target' For AL Powerhouse

Even though the St. Louis Cardinals have had a bette season than expected to this point, they still continue to be mentioned in trade buzz.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, that's likely going to continue to be the case. St. Louis entered play on Wednesday sporting a 36-31 record and so it's hard to completely predict what the team will do. The Cardinals have the talent needed to make a run at a playoff spot, but didn't actually hold one on Wednesday. The Cardinals entered play on Wednesday behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central standings and just behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the final National League Wild Card spot.

As we get closer to the deadline, the noise is only going to grow unless the Cardinals go on some sort of long winning or losing streak to firmly cement its position.

With all of the changes coming up this upcoming offseason with Chaim Bloom taking over as president of baseball operations, all eyes are going to be on club this summer.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden shared a column in which he mentioned potential targets for contenders. For St. Louis, he pretty much said the team should stay the course. But, he also called outfielder Lars Noobaar a "possible target" for the Houston Astros.

"Houston Astros — AL West," Bowden said. "Biggest need: Left-handed hitter. Possible targets: Ryan O’Hearn, Orioles; Brandon Lowe, Rays; Jesús Sánchez, Marlins; Jarren Duran, Red Sox; Brendan Donovan, Cardinals; Josh Naylor, Diamondbacks; Luis Arraez, Padres; Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals; Kyle Stowers, Marlins; Josh Smith, Rangers"

We're at a time in the year in which there is going to be far more chatter than actual moves made. It would be surprising to see Nootbaar go this season, but St. Louis surely will be the subject of a lot of noise.