The St. Louis Cardinals are gearing up for a major rebuild this offseason. After starting to offload assets at the trade deadline, they may continue making bold moves in the months ahead.
One notable trade candidate on the roster is former top outfielder. If the Cardinals decide to move him, there will likely be several teams interested in acquiring his services.
Drew Koch of Blog Red Machine recently suggested the Cincinnati Reds could be a trade landing spot in a deal for Nootbaar this offseason, but the idea might not make that much sense.
“The Cincinnati Reds need to bolster their lineup this winter, and while not overly popular, one way to do so would be through an intra-division trade with one of their NL Central rivals,” Koch wrote. “St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar is already being bandied about as a possible trade candidate this offseason, and he would seem to be a perfect fit for Reds manager Terry Francona. Nootbaar has two years of team control remaining and is due a raise through arbitration this offseason. After taking home $2.95 million in 2025, MLB Trade Rumors predicts Nootbaar will net $5.7 million next season.
“That’s just slightly above the salary that Cincinnati paid Austin Hays last season, and would easily fit into the Reds’ budget for 2026. Nootbaar had a down-year in 2025, though some of that could be due to injury. The Cardinals outfielder just had surgery on both heels to shave down Haglund’s deformities earlier this month. It’s assumed that he’ll be ready for spring training, but no timetable has been given for his recovery just yet.”
This idea wouldn’t make much sense.
Nootbaar is still a potential star. He’s put together solid seasons in the past for the Cardinals. While St. Louis could look to trade him this winter, it wouldn’t make sense to move him to a hated rival.
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