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If you have been following the St. Louis Cardinals over the last few months, you've likely heard about all of the negatives.
St. Louis was in trade rumors all offseason and that has carried over to some pretty wild speculation this season. The Cardinals haven't gotten off to the start they have wanted and currently have a 14-18 record. There's plenty of time to turn things around, but there's just been a lot of negative.
But, let's talk about something else now. What about some positive?
One guy who has been great so far this season is outfielder Lars Noobaar. He's appeared in 31 games so far this season and is slashing .254/.389/.424 with five homers, 18 RBIs, three stolen bases, 25 walks, five doubles, and 21 runs scored. He's already tallied 1.4 wins above replacement. In comparison, he totaled 1.5 wins above replacement for the entire 2024 season in 109 games played.
Nootbaar has been the engine that has gotten the team's offense moving this season and manager Oliver Marmol had nothing but praise for him on Thursday, as transcribed by MLB.com's John Denton.
"(Lars Nootbaar is) going to take the same at-bat, regardless of if he's leading off or hitting third,” Marmol said as transcribed by Denton. "But (with Nootbaar leading off), we start (almost) every game with somebody on. I mean, it feels that way. You just know that you're going to have a super professional at-bat to start every game...
"He could be a very interesting, impactful player because of the combination of his skill set. You look under the hood and all of it is there, right? He hits the ball hard, he can use the whole field, he picks his spots to drive the baseball out of the park, he does not chase, and then he has a demeanor that will allow him to be very consistent."
He's starting to put it all together and Cardinals fans can be excited about him at the very least.
More must-reads:
- Astros get pitching help just in the nick of time
- Aaron Boone's ejection vs. Astros isn't a good look for manager's future
- The 'MLB active hits leaders' quiz
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Ranking the top three 2025 AL Cy Young Award candidates
Last season, Detroit Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal won the AL Cy Young Award resoundingly, nabbing a rare pitching triple crown. This year, the contest is a little tighter. Now, into the home stretch of the 2025 MLB season, there are three AL Cy Young contenders that stand above the rest, each pitching for a team well within the postseason picture. As things stand today, it seems the Cy Young race could come down to a matter of splitting hairs, but with almost two months of baseball left to play, there is still time for a shakeup. Will the reigning Cy Young prevail or give way to one of the up-and-coming rising stars? This is how the AL Cy Young race is currently shaping up in the top three. LHP Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox In his first year with the Boston Red Sox, Crochet has gone from high-potential strikeout artist to Cy Young front-runner. It was just last season when the rising southpaw posted a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts in 146 innings, making 32 starts with the White Sox, though he had never started a major-league game before. Now, after a quick change of Sox, Crochet has become one of the most dominant starters in baseball. He currently owns a 2.24 ERA with 183 strikeouts, an opponent batting average of .218 and 13 wins in 148.2 innings. Entering Saturday, his ERA leads the AL (second in MLB) while his innings count and wins total (tie) lead the MLB. LHP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers Skubal, last year’s AL Cy Young and triple crown winner, lags Crochet this time around, but not by much. The Tigers’ ace owns a 2.35 ERA with 187 strikeouts, an opponent batting average of .198 and 11 wins in 145.1 innings. His strikeout total, walks per nine rate (1.30) and K/BB rate (8.90) lead the MLB, while his strikeouts per nine rate (11.58) leads the AL. His 3 losses on the season are tied with Christopher Sanchez for the least among all qualified starters. It’s fair to note that the Cy Young award doesn’t always go to the pitcher with the lowest ERA giving Skubal an outside shot if the voting started today, but the totals in the wins column and innings pitched still favor Crochet. Nonetheless, there is plenty of time left to pull ahead. RHP Hunter Brown, Houston Astros Rounding out the top three is Brown, the Houston Astros’ breakout ace. Brown settled into the majors last season, throwing to a 3.49 ERA after struggling through his rookie year. Now, Brown is one of the game’s top arms, maintaining an ERA of 2.51 with 160 strikeouts, an opponent batting average of .195 and nine wins in 136.1 innings, earning his first All-Star nod. Off the bat, the only thing that makes him stand out from the other two aces is his .195 opponent batting average, which may not be the lowest in the game, but is still lower than both Crochet’s and Skubal’s. Brown is more of a longshot for the AL Cy Young Award; however, he isn’t out of the race yet. It seems implausible, but a stellar performance this month and next could push him to the top.
'Absolutely' - Browns Are Considering Surprising Quarterback Move
It's the Browns. When the Cleveland Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this April, they had a total of five quarterbacks on their roster between their incoming rookies, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and the injured Deshaun Watson. And despite the kind of confusing nature of their stockpiling so many QBs, it sounds like the team could double-down on the the decision by the time the regular season kicks off. According to The Athletic's Zac Jackson, "the Browns absolutely might keep all four quarterbacks" heading into Cleveland's season opener. While also adding, "No, Shedeur Sanders is not going to start Week 1 for the Browns. But he's put a lot of pressure on his coaches and fellow QBs headed into this week — the biggest week of training camp as the Browns head to Philly." Fans reacted to the reporter's update on X: "At this point it's not even a QB room anymore. It's a pitching rotation now," a user said. "One as a starter, One as a backup, One to hold on field goals, And one listed as a wide receiver for tax purposes," another commented. "[Shedeur Sanders] should be developed and shouldn't be thrown out there week 1 but he should be considered to be put over Gabriel and Pickett," a fan pointed out. "While also finally getting meaningful reps with the 1's." "I'm a Shedeur fan who wants Flacco to start with Shedeur at QB2," another person replied. "Sitting behind a veteran QB can be very valuable, and you know he'd be ready if he had to come off the bench. Just my .02." "This isn't unprecedented," another user posted. "The Patriots kept 4 QBs in the 2000 season. Worked out ok for them. Not saying there's a Brady in their QB room. But if they have 4 guys who they think are NFL worthy (even if none are QB1 right now), they can make it work." The Browns have been bitten by the injury bug thus far in camp with Pickett and Gabriel both dealing with ailments this preseason — opening up a window for Shedeur Sanders to earn his way up the depth chart. Sanders played well in Friday night's debut with a 14-of-23 performance for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the way to a 30-10 win over Carolina. But head coach Kevin Stefanski says the team in "evaluation mode" when it comes to their QBs.
Cowboys' Micah Parsons gives Giants' rookie pass-rusher the ultimate compliment
Abdul Carter showed flashes of dominance in his preseason debut with the New York Giants on Saturday, and fellow pass-rusher Micah Parsons believes fans are going to see a lot more of that for years to come. Carter was disruptive on several plays at the line of scrimmage during the Giants' 34-25 win over the Buffalo Bills. He showed tremendous burst and appeared to get into the backfield with ease, and that was against Buffalo's first-team offense. On Sunday, Parsons shared a video on social media that showed Carter giving the Bills fits. Parsons also paid the rookie a massive compliment. "They asked me if Abdul could be a (sic) another great ! I told them he could be the best one!" Parsons wrote on X. Carter responded by telling Parsons he can't wait to see the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker "get paid what you EARNED!!" Parsons and Carter are both Penn State alumni. They each wore the No. 11, which is a famous jersey number for the Nittany Lions and has been worn by some of the best players in program history. Parsons, of course, has already established himself as one of the best defensive players in football. He is currently in a contract standoff with the Dallas Cowboys. Carter was the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. If he lives up to expectations, he should be just as productive as Parsons in relatively short order.
Report: Teams reluctant to discuss key offseason move with Bulls
After an impressive debut season with the Chicago Bulls, you could have been forgiven if you believed Josh Giddey's restricted free agency was a mere formality. The playmaking guard established himself as a key member of Billy Donovan's rotation. Furthermore, he ended the season looking like the cornerstone of the team's rebuilding efforts. Instead, Giddey and the Bulls have been at an impasse throughout the summer. If reports are to be believed, the issue is that Giddey is seeking a deal in the region of $30M per year. Chicago, on the other hand, is working in the $20M per year range. According to NBA Insider Jake Fischer, that impasse has led some teams from around the league to register their interest in Giddey. However, any potential move to sign him would need to be a sign-and-trade. Unfortunately for Giddey, those teams are "reluctant" to enter negotiations with Chicago, as they've become a notoriously difficult franchise to deal with in trade discussions. "Sources say Giddey has managed to attract some external interest from rival teams since free agency began, with multiple Eastern Conference teams contacting Giddey's representation to register sign-and-trade interest," Fischer reported via The Stein Line Newsletter. "Yet it's likewise true that more than one rival front office has indicated a reluctance to try to engage the Bulls in sign-and-trade discussions, sources say, with Chicago having messaged for some time that it is not eager to discuss such scenarios." For Chicago, the interest in Giddey should be a wakeup call. His unique style of play and ability to impact a game in a host of different ways should make him borderline indispensable. At 22, he's likely to continue improving for the best part of a decade. Chicago can't let such a talent slip through its fingers. As such, the Bulls must try to meet Giddey closer to where he's at. A deal in the region of $25M or $27M per year would likely go a long way to getting him back to the negotiating table. If other teams are starting to test the waters, Giddey could be tempted to sign his qualifying offer. That would make him an unrestricted free agent and all but ensure his time in Chicago is short-lived. The Bulls front office must act now after Giddey has proven himself. While his contract requests are undoubtedly high, the Bulls would be securing his future, and that alone is worth paying a premium for.
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