Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar Explains Link Between Injury, Trade Potential

Nootbaar knows he could still be on the way out

May 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) looks on before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Lars Nootbaar is a realist, and he saw this offseason that the St. Louis Cardinals' future plans may very well not involve him.

Nootbaar, who is coming off a down year in 2025, underwent surgery in the winter on both heels to address chronic pain that had plagued him for the last few seasons. He arrived to spring training on Wednesday after spending a few extra days in California due to the needs of his rehab activities.

During his first conversations with the media this spring on Wednesday, Nootbaar revealed that there is no timeline yet for his return to action. That will come in the next couple of weeks. But whenever he comes back, there is incentive for both Nootbaar and the Cardinals to make sure he's at 100%.

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Nootbaar wants mutually beneficial situation

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a one run single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

As Nootbaar relayed, there's definitely a chance that taking some extra time to prepare and not forcing the issue with his surgery recovery could result in him playing better -- which would also theoretically increase the return the Cardinals would get if they traded him either at the deadline in July or next offseason.

“Mutually, we would benefit if I got this done, came back and was healthy, played well for this team, and whatever happens, happens,” Nootbaar said, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I do not benefit this team or myself if I just go out there and I’m hampered and compensating.”

Nootbaar's 95 OPS+ and .361 slugging percentage last year were career lows. The better he plays when he comes back, the more teams are likely to throw those numbers out the window because of the pain he was playing through, and the more his value gets boosted.

Now that the Cardinals have traded away Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan, Nootbaar is the longest-tenured position player on the team, and also one of the oldest at age 28. It's not that he necessarily wants to leave (though he might, depending on the state of the team's rebuild), but he knows that could be good business.

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