Aug 31, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) high fives teammates after scoring on a sacrifice fly out hit by third baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Lars Nootbaar's Cardinals Future Tied To All-Star Teammate

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Dec 3, 2025 11:16 AM ET

The Major League Baseball dam should break very soon when it comes to transactions around the league.

We've already seen a handful of signings and trades -- including one involving the St. Louis Cardinals -- but this is just the beginning. The Cardinals traded Sonny Gray away and yet they still have a handful of guys to watch as the offseason really begins to play out. For example, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan shared a column talking about the top 40 trade candidates across the league on Tuesday and five members of the Cardinals were included.

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Who will be next to go for St. Louis?

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

One guy who wasn't on the list, but has been in trade rumors is Lars Nootbaar. His exclusion likely has to do with his offseason double heel surgery. The Athletic's Cardinals insider Katie Woo shed some more light on Nootbaar and noted that teams "haven’t seemed deterred" by the offseason surgery and that he could be traded specifically if Brendan Donovan stays.

"The likelihood Donovan is traded remains high due to his heavy interest, but if asking teams do not meet the Cardinals’ high price, they won’t deal him," Woo wrote. "This ups the percentage that Nootbaar is traded this winter. Like Donovan, Nootbaar will be a free agent come 2028. The 28-year-old is recovering from double heel surgery, which has put his Opening Day availability somewhat in jeopardy. But teams interested in Nootbaar haven’t seemed deterred by his potential early-season unavailability.

"Nootbaar’s price won’t be as hefty as Burleson’s or Donovan’s, even though some rival clubs view Nootbaar as the hitter with the highest ceiling in the group...The Cardinals will continue fielding interest in Nootbaar, and if they are unable to find a strong return for Donovan, they will pivot to shopping their corner outfielder."

Nootbaar turned 28 years old in September. He's under contract right now and even with the offseason surgery has significant upside. Nootbaar can play all three outfield positions well and is an above-average hitter. It's not shocking that teams would want him.

The idea of a trade potentially being contingent on Donovan isn't shocking as well. The Cardinals have a ton of left-handed offensive talent, including Nootbaar, Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Nolan Gorman, among others. JJ Wetherholt is another lefty batter on his way to the big leagues soon. If the Cardinals don't trade one left-handed bat in Donovan, they need to look elsewhere, like Nootbaar, to try to clear up the surplus.

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

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