Chaim Bloom Flexing Muscles After Former Cardinals Flop With New Teams

St. Louis traded away Lars Nootbaar, Dustin May and Jojo Romero

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals were one of the league’s most active teams at the MLB trade deadline. 

President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom sent away three veterans in return for a handful of exciting prospects. Much has been said about those prospects and their immediate impact, but what about the players St. Louis sent away? 

As luck would have it, all three of the exports have struggled to find their footing in their new cities. 

Lars Nootbaar

Aug 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) walks off after striking out against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) in the fourth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lars Nootbaar spent each of his first six seasons in Major League Baseball with St. Louis. The 28-year-old was a plus-WAR player in the first few seasons of his career, but has been falling statistically since 2023. 

He has now played 14 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it has not gone well. He has just eight hits in 43 at-bats, with one home run and five runs batted in. 

Nootbaar is batting .186 with a -0.3 WAR with Arizona.

Dustin May

Aug 19, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dustin May (21) pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dustin May is the same age as his former teammate Nootbaar, but he is joining his fourth career team after being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. 

May started 21 games with St. Louis this season and was very boom-or-bust. In one instance, he threw a complete-game shutout one-hitter; in others, he would be batted around for five, six, or seven runs in a few innings. 

This has continued since joining the MLB’s best. In his first two starts, he allowed just three runs in 13 innings combined. However, most recently, he allowed the Seattle Mariners to hang seven before the third. 

Jojo Romero 

Jun 11, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) pitches against the New York Mets during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jojo Romero went to Milwaukee with May, but he has not laced them up since the deal was done. 

Romero unfortunately underwent an emergency appendectomy while he was still with St. Louis. He is scheduled to throw in his first rehab start on Tuesday. 

Hard to judge him as harshly as the other two, but the fact remains.

More MLB: The 3 Moves That Could Transform Cardinals' Playoff Push