Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals May Not Lose 28-Year-Old Outfielder This Offseason: Report

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of work to still do...
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have plenty of pieces that could be on the way out of town. But there are also veteran who could be back donning a Cardinals jersey in 2026, despite trade rumors.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Sunday that Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, and Alec Burleson have "drawn varying levels of interest." For Nootbaar specifically, Goold reported that St. Louis is "not actively seeking" to make a move.

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"In addition to (Brendan Donovan), the Cardinals' other left-handed bats — Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, and Alec Burleson — have drawn varying levels of interest from opposing teams," Goold wrote. "Nootbaar is recovering from surgeries on both of his heels. Sources with teams who spoke to the Cardinals described them as not actively seeking to trade Nootbaar. Any hesitance likely stems from preferring to see how Nootbaar produces for them when healthy vs. not being able to maximize the return for him."

The Cardinals have plenty of trade chips

St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar
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

If Nootbaar sticks around, that would leave St. Louis with Victor Scott II, Jordan Walker, and Nathan Church as full-time outfielders. Burleson and Donovan are players who saw action all over the place. Donovan has been one of the most popular trade candidates in all of baseball this offseason. That doesn't guarantee that he will be moved, but he's the guy to watch.

If Nootbaar sticks around -- at least to begin the 2026 season -- that would help the Cardinals' offense, obviously. St. Louis doesn't need to act right now. Nootbaar's trade value isn't exceptionally high right now because he had a somewhat down year offensively in 2025 and is coming off double heel surgery. Nootbaar is under team control and won't be a free agent until 2028. At the end of the day, it would make sense to keep Nootbaar until at least the trade deadline and give him time to build back up his trade value.

More MLB: Where Things Reportedly Stand With Cardinals Star Brendan Donovan

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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