Cardinals Mock Trade Sends Star Outfielder To Hated Division Rival

Could the Cardinals and Reds link up for a big offseason trade?

Aug 29, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) breaks his bat on a pitch in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are headed for a big rebuild this offseason. They began trading away assets at the trade deadline and they could continue making aggressive moves in the offseason.

St. Louis has a lot of potential trade candidates on its roster including former top outfielder Lars Nootbaar. There are bound to be a few suitors for Nootbaar if the Cardinals opt to trade him this winter.

Drew Koch of Blog Red Machine recently suggested the Cincinnati Reds could be a trade landing spot in a deal for Nootbaar this offseason, but the idea might not make that much sense.

Reds-Cardinals trade buzz wouldn't make much sense for St. Louis

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

"The Cincinnati Reds need to bolster their lineup this winter, and while not overly popular, one way to do so would be through an intra-division trade with one of their NL Central rivals," Koch wrote. "St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar is already being bandied about as a possible trade candidate this offseason, and he would seem to be a perfect fit for Reds manager Terry Francona. Nootbaar has two years of team control remaining and is due a raise through arbitration this offseason. After taking home $2.95 million in 2025, MLB Trade Rumors predicts Nootbaar will net $5.7 million next season.

"That's just slightly above the salary that Cincinnati paid Austin Hays last season, and would easily fit into the Reds' budget for 2026. Nootbaar had a down-year in 2025, though some of that could be due to injury. The Cardinals outfielder just had surgery on both heels to shave down Haglund’s deformities earlier this month. It's assumed that he'll be ready for spring training, but no timetable has been given for his recovery just yet."

This idea wouldn't make much sense.

Nootbaar is still a potential star. He's put together solid seasons in the past for the Cardinals. While St. Louis could look to trade him this winter, it wouldn't make sense to move him to a hated rival.

The only way this could make sense is if the Reds are willing to overpay for Nootbaar. The deal would need to considerably favor the Cardinals for the future, but that's unlikely to happen with an intra-division trade.

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