The St. Louis Cardinals are in the midst of change, and more moves appear to be on the way. Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray have already been dealt, and players like Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, and JoJo Romero could be next in line.
Those names may not be the only ones drawing interest, either. St. Louis has reportedly listened to inquiries on Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman as well.
With spring training still ahead, the Cardinals don’t seem finished reshaping the roster, and a busy stretch of trading could be coming. In Bleacher Report’s breakdown of potential fits for all 30 MLB teams, Joel Reuter identified Nootbaar as a possible target for the Los Angeles Angels.
What Trading Nootbaar Could Mean For Cardinals
Nootbaar had a down 2025 season, dealing with several injuries. He even had double heel surgery at the end of the year.
The 28-year-old outfielder and fan-favorite hit just .234./.325/.361 with 13 home runs and a .686 OPS in 2025. He is one of many left-handed bats on the Cardinals roster entering the 2026 season.
The Cardinals could stand to trade from their group of lefty bats this offseason, and while Nootbaar may not get them the best return, trading him would allow them to clear out the logjam and potentially even create some room for other additions from the outside, such as a right-handed bat or two.
Fans might be sad to see Nootbaar go, but he could at least get them some young pitching to help beef up the farm system for the next few years. He is not as likely to move as some of the other trade chips on the roster, but the Cardinals would be wise to at least consider offers for him.
Nootbaar made his Major League debut in 2021 and has been with the team ever since. The team isn’t looking like a contender entering 2026, so it makes sense to at least be fielding offers for the veteran outfielder.
It should be interesting to see what Chaim Bloom’s next move is and what he’ll ultimately get back for some of his trade pieces, but Nootbaar is somebody that could potentially be moved out as the Cardinals continue their rebuild for the next few years.
