The St. Louis Cardinals have made several moves this offseason. They may not have been the biggest moves on a national scale, but they have strongly impacted the Cardinals. Trading away veterans like Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado are the biggest moves the club made this offseason. As of right now, the biggest trade rumor surrounding the Cards is whether the team will move All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan. However, there has been speculation on whether the club will trade outfielder and fan favorite Lars Nootbaar. There have been many questions about Nootbaars’ role with the Cardinals. Now, the biggest question is whether a Lars Nootbaar trade is realistic.

The Lars Nootbaar Trade Reality

Injury History

Nootbaar debuted with the Cardinals in 2021. After his 5th season in the big leagues, Nootbaar has appeared in 527 games. Out of 810 possible games in the last 5 seasons, he has appeared in 65% of those games. While he has appeared in over half of those games, the 28-year-old has dealt with his fair share of injuries. And the thing with injuries is that they are always lingering and have an effect on a player’s trade value.

These injuries also kept Nootbaar sidelined for weeks at a time. The injuries he sustained are as follows:

1. August-September of 2023- Abdominal injury that placed him on the 10-Day Injured Reserve list.
2. March-April 2024- Rib fracture in Spring Training that caused him to miss 13 games
3. May-July 2024- Oblique injury causing him to miss 35 games
4. July 2025- Wrist injury causing him to miss multiple weeks
5. October 2025- Offseason heel surgery that could cause him to miss the start of the 2026 season.

After having that heel in October, he still has no timetable for recovery. With all these injuries listed above, it’s reasonable to believe that the Cardinals may have trouble working out a trade for Nootbaar based on injury history alone.

Trade Value

Due to his injury history and production decline, Nootbaars’ trade value is currently low. So, if the Cardinals were to move him, it would be a “sell low” circumstance. In 2025, Noobaar had a .234 batting average, .325 OBP, .361 SLG, and a . 686 OPS. All those stats, excluding batting average, were career lows for the 5-year-veteran. Now, injuries could be the reason for the dip in production last season. However, Noot had found success for stretches when he seemed healthy. So the Cards could hold on to him, hoping he can reclaim some of the success he has had in the past.

Nootbaar still has attributes, both physical and mental, that can prove valuable. He has a strong ability to get on base, which any team would love to have on its roster. On a mental level, he provides a spark to the clubhouse. A team that’s deemed to have “low energy” can benefit from the enthusiasm that he brings to the ballpark every day. He also holds value by having team control through the 2027 season.

Possible Trade Partners

A handful of teams could benefit from a Nootbaar trade.  Teams like the Rangers, Dodgers, Mets, Mariners, and Astros are all teams that have been linked to the Cardinals outfielder. These teams are all looking for a depth piece to an extent. Whether that is outfield or offensive depth, Nootbaar can fit both of those needs for any ball club.

The Reality

The likelihood of Nootbarr being traded at this point is low. Mainly due to injury concerns, but it’s also believed that the new front office of the Cardinals isn’t ready to give up on him yet. It is possible that by this season’s trade deadline, he could be moved. The Cardinals have players in the organization who could fill Nootbaars’ role if moved. MLB’s #54-ranked prospect, Joshua Baez, would be one of the names to fill that spot. Baez is currently on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, but hasn’t seen any level higher than Double-A. Until the Cardinals believe Baez is “Major League ready”, fans should expect the team to hold on to Nootbaar for the time being.

Main Photo Credits: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images