What If Cardinals Actually Trade Lars Nootbaar?

Jun 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What If Cardinals Actually Trade Lars Nootbaar?

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jul 31, 2026 8:59 AM ET

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The clock is ticking on the trade market across Major League Baseball and the deadline will be here in just a few days on Aug. 3.

Soon enough, the noise around the St. Louis Cardinals will quiet down. This past offseason, the Cardinals traded Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado away. The trade rumors didn't stop, though. In the offseason, guys like JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar were talked about as candidates who could've been on the move, but the club held on. All season to this point, rumors have swirled as well. That was the case when the Cardinals were playing well throughout the first half of the season and certainly has been recently as the team has struggled.

The Cardinals are a game under .500 at the absolute worst time to be. St. Louis is 54-55 with just a few days to go until the deadline.

What Will The Cardinals Do With Lars Nootbaar?

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When it comes to the Cardinals right now, Dustin May, Romero, and Ryne Stanek are going to be the most obvious names to watch because none of the three have long-term deals in St. Louis. Riley O'Brien and Nootbaar are two other names to watch, despite team control beyond the 2026 season. On Thursday, Nootbaar was asked about the deadline and opened up.

"I can't control any of that noise," Nootbaar said. "... If whatever happens, happens. Like I said, I'm taking this trip like another six-day roadtrip, expecting to come back with these guys. Hopefully, get a few series wins, come back, and come back on the right foot. If it happens, it happens. I can't control it."

"Expecting to come back with these guys"

As the trade deadline nears, Lars Nootbaar isn't planning on packing extra clothes for the upcoming road trip. After Thursday's game at Busch Stadium, Noot shares his perspective as a weekend of unknown approaches.@KMOV | @MatrixMidwest pic.twitter.com/oAMKEzqJEs
— Jacob Cersosimo (@JacobCersosimo) July 30, 2026

Nootbaar has just one more season of team control left. After the 2027 season, he'll head off to free agency.

While it would be difficult to see Nootbaar go, the idea of flipping him this summer actually makes a lot of sense. First and foremost, the Cardinals already have an easy option to replace him. That would be No. 3 prospect Joshua Báez. The young outfielder has played in 93 games for Triple-A Memphis this season and has 32 homers and 81 RBIs. If the Cardinals dealt Nootbaar away, they could easily promote Báez to get his shot in the majors.

If the Cardinals weren't comfortable with promoting Báez, they could promote Victor Scott II back to the big leagues and move Nathan Church to left field.

The other reason why it would make sense to move Nootbaar is because baseball is completely up in the air beyond the 2026 season. The collective bargaining agreement is up after the season and anything could happen. With uncertainty around the league in general, it would be a good time to move Nootbaar now when his value could be considered on the high side.

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

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