Cardinals Place Lars Nootbaar On 60-Day IL
The Cardinals announced that outfielder Lars Nootbaar has been placed on the 60-day injured list. That is presumably to open a 40-man roster spot for prospect JJ Wetherholt, as it was reported a few days ago that Wetherholt would make the Opening Day roster.
It’s an unfortunate development for both Nootbaar and the Cardinals. The outfielder is coming off a down season during which he produced a .234/.325/.361 line and 96 wRC+. That was a notable drop-off from his three prior seasons, as he hit a combined .246/.351/.426 for a 118 wRC+ during that span.
In October, he underwent surgery on both heels to shave down Haglund’s deformities, which are essentially painful protrusions of bone. In the wake of that procedure, it was expected that Nootbaar could have a chance to be ready for Opening Day. It became more and more apparent that he was going to start on the IL as spring training kept going on without him appearing in a game. Now he is not only landing on the IL but it’s the 60-day version. That allows the Cards to open a 40-man spot but means Nootbaar can’t rejoin the team until late May even in a best-case scenario.
The Cards are rebuilding, meaning their players nearing free agency were mostly traded in the offseason. Nootbaar is controlled through 2027, just like Brendan Donovan was, and likely would have been moved if not for the questions about his health. Ideally, he would have been back on the field in 2026 with his production back to his pre-2025 levels. That would have made him a notable deadline trade candidate this summer.
That all could still happen but the plan is going to be delayed and Nootbaar will therefore have less time to showcase his health before the deadline. For now, the Cards are going to be giving the outfield playing time to guys like Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II, Nathan Church, José Fermín and Thomas Saggese.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Cardinals Notes: Velázquez, Church, Gorman
The Cardinals spent much of the offseason looking for a right-handed bat to add to their outfield group. Interest in Austin Hays, Miguel Andujar and old friend Harrison Bader did not lead to a deal, however. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat writes that the Cardinals had a tough time selling the opportunity to veterans seeking big league deals, as someone like Hays or Andujar would only be assured playing time while Lars Nootbaar mended from his dual heel surgery. Once healthy, Nootbaar will rejoin an outfield also expected to include defensive standout Victor Scott II in center field and former top prospect Jordan Walker in right field.
The looming return of Nootbaar would be a sensible deterrent for any veteran looking to maximize playing time in order to secure a multi-year deal in the future (e.g. Hays, Andujar) or one who was seeking a multi-year opportunity this winter (e.g. Bader). That wasn’t as big a factor for players simply looking for non-roster opportunities, however, and Jones writes that one such player is now all but guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster: Nelson Velázquez.
The 27-year-old Velázquez has had a monster spring, clubbing four homers in 39 plate appearances with an overall .333/.436/.727 slash and six walks against only three strikeouts. He also had a nice showing in the Puerto Rican Winter League, hitting .277/.377/.423 with 22 walks against 29 strikeouts in 159 turns at the plate.
Velázquez has played in parts of three major league seasons between the Cubs and Royals, combining for a .212/.286/.433 batting line and 31 home runs in 615 plate appearances. There’s little doubting his power potential, but a 28.8% strikeout rate has held him back. Velázquez’s approach isn’t particularly poor; he walks at a slightly better-than-average 8.5% rate, and his chase rate on balls off the plate is several percentage points shy of average. Rather, his sub-par hit tool has been the primary deterrent. Velázquez’s 76.2% contact rate on pitches over the plate is nearly nine percentage points shy of average, however, and his 43% contact rate when he does chase off the plate is 14 percentage points lower than average.
That said, Velázquez has made some gains in terms of cutting his strikeout rate and upping his walk rate both in winter ball and in his past couple runs at the Triple-A level. He’s certainly not going to continue his preposterous spring training production, but even some modest gains in his contact ability could help him break through as a power-over-hit corner bat. Assuming he indeed makes the roster, he’ll have the opportunity to carve out some staying power even after Nootbaar returns. Velázquez is out of minor league options, so he can’t be sent down without passing through waivers, but he’s also controllable for five more seasons via arbitration. At the very least, he’s put himself in strong position to earn another big league opportunity after spending 2025 in Triple-A (between the Pirates and Royals).
Also in strong position is outfielder Nathan Church, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The lefty-swinging 25-year-old has hit .286/.412/.429 in 34 turns at the plate this spring. He could find himself in something of a platoon situation in left field (with Velázquez) or fill a more traditional fourth outfielder role. He’s capable of playing all three spots and was credited with four Outs Above Average (per Statcast) and five Defensive Runs Saved in just 164 big league innings last year.
Church hit just .179/.254/.250 in a cup of coffee that spanned 65 plate appearances last year. His work in the minors, however, was far more impressive. In 385 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .329/.386/.524 with 13 homers, 16 steals, an 8.6% walk rate and just a 9.6% strikeout rate.
“His demeanor has been different, overall confidence is better,” manager Oli Marmol tells Ladson in discussing the difference between what he saw in Church last summer and what he’s seen this spring. “Mechanically, he has made some changes to be more consistent.”
Teammate Nolan Gorman has also been seeking consistency — in his case, for the past several years. The former first-rounder and top prospect has shown flashes of enormous power potential in the past but still hasn’t solidified himself as a productive regular. Part of that has been scattershot opportunities with Nolan Arenado at third base and Brendan Donovan seeing lots of time at second base; neither is on the roster anymore. Significant strikeout issues have been a more alarming factor. Gorman has gone down on strikes in 34% of his 1581 career plate appearances.
As Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, Gorman met with a private hitting instructor early this offseason at Arenado’s recommendation. A two-week regimen led to some mechanical changes with his setup (specifically his back elbow) and has helped him to find a more consistency with getting his front foot down during his swing.
Spring stats provide a small sample that ought to be taken with a major grain of salt, but Gorman has taken 37 plate appearances and given some reason for optimism, hitting .250/.351/.625 with three homers, five walks (13.5%) and just six strikeouts (16.2%) in 37 plate appearances.
MLBTR’s Anthony Franco previewed what looks like a make-or-break year for Gorman back in late January. With no real roadblock to playing time at third base, Gorman should be in the lineup more days than not have a bit more of a set position than in the past, when he’s bounced between third base, second base, first base and designated hitter. He’s now north of three years of major league service time as well, so if Gorman’s egregious strikeout rate resurfaces and continues to weigh down his overall production, he’d be a non-tender candidate following the season.
Cardinals Notes: Nootbaar, Baez, Catcher
Lars Nootbaar still hasn’t played this spring as he works back from heel surgeries. Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat noted yesterday that the left fielder is trending towards beginning the season on the injured list. There’s no clear timetable for his season debut.
An injured list stint has been a possibility since the Cardinals announced that Nootbaar had surgery to address Haglund’s deformities on both heels in early October. The health uncertainty seemingly took the outfielder off the trade block over the winter. Nootbaar was loosely tied to the Rangers, Mets and Pirates at points throughout the offseason. There was too much uncertainty in his health outlook for the Cardinals to net a strong enough return to move him.
The Cardinals have two years of arbitration control over Nootbaar. The lefty hitter posted above-average offensive numbers over his first three and a half MLB seasons. He had a career-worst .234/.325/.361 showing across 583 plate appearances last year. Nootbaar is making $5.35MM this season and seems likely to be available at the deadline as long as he’s healthy.
Nootbaar’s injury leaves the Opening Day left field job available. The Cardinals were in the market for a right-handed hitting outfielder late in the offseason but didn’t come away with any MLB additions. They signed Nelson Velázquez to a minor league deal. He’s mashing at a .333/.440/.524 clip with four walks and two strikeouts in 25 plate appearances this spring. They’re also getting utility infielders Thomas Saggese and José Fermín outfield work in camp. One of those players could split time with lefty-hitting Nathan Church as a stopgap left field platoon.
One idea not under consideration: carrying highly-regarded outfield prospect Joshua Báez on the Opening Day roster. The Cardinals optioned the 22-year-old to Triple-A Memphis yesterday. Báez had an excellent camp, slugging three homers while going 7-21 in 10 games. Báez has no Triple-A experience, though, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’ll begin the season in the minors.
A former second-round pick, Báez floundered early in his minor league career. He firmly put himself back on the prospect radar last season. Báez combined for a .287/.384/.500 slash with 20 homers between High-A and Double-A. Even more impressively, he cut his strikeout rate to a league average 21.4% clip after fanning in more than 34% of his plate appearances in his first three professional seasons. He’ll look to follow up his impressive Spring Training by maintaining that improved contact rate in his first look at Triple-A pitching.
St. Louis also optioned catching prospects Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal over the weekend. That leaves Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo as the three catchers on the 40-man roster who remain in camp. Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the team intends to carry all three on the Opening Day roster. Pages will be the primary option behind the dish, while Pozo will work in a traditional backup role. Herrera will continue seeing more time as a designated hitter than at catcher, though the Cardinals aren’t moving him off the position entirely.
Poll: Do The Cardinals Have Another Trade In Them This Offseason?
The Cardinals have been one of the winter’s busiest teams. Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado were all shipped elsewhere to clear salary and add some young talent. The crown jewel on the team’s offseason was the three-team trade that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle in exchange for two Competitive Balance draft picks and a package of prospects headlined by top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje.
It wouldn’t be a shock if all that activity was the end of their involvement in the trade market. At this point, the majority of their roster is controlled for multiple seasons, and the team has generally cleared the deck to give its up-and-coming youngsters more playing time.
Even so, additional trades can’t be ruled out. There is still one more rental player on the team’s roster who has garnered interest from teams: southpaw JoJo Romero. Romero has been connected to several teams this winter, including the Mariners, Orioles, and Yankees. Given how quickly the bullpen market moved in free agency this offseason, Romero could have particular value to a team like the Yankees or Twins that was known to be in the market for relief help but didn’t end up landing a coveted high leverage arm. The lefty is coming off a nice 2025 campaign where he posted a 2.07 ERA in 61 innings. He’d surely net some prospect value if dealt.
The Cardinals could prefer to put Romero in the ninth inning throughout the first half, let him accumulate experience in the closer role, and market him as such at the trade deadline, when virtually every contender will be on the prowl for bullpen help. There’s certainly some merit to that option, but it’s possible a bullpen-needy team would pay more for a full year of Romero now than over the summer. That figures to be especially true if his run prevention regresses towards his solid but unspectacular peripherals from 2025. Romero pitched to a 4.10 SIERA with a hefty 11.4% walk rate against a 21.6% strikeout rate last year.
Romero is the most likely player left on the Cardinals roster to move before Opening Day, but there are other options. Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman were among the players who had their names floated as possible trade chips this winter. Nootbaar, in particular, would make sense given that he has just two years of team control remaining, but any attempts at trade talks have surely been complicated by him undergoing surgery that could land him on the injured list when the 2026 campaign begins.
Gorman, 25, is coming off back-to-back down seasons that saw him strike out more than 35% of the time, but in 2023 he flashed an impressive 118 wRC+ with 27 homers in just 119 games. That kind of power is enticing, and with a dearth of infield talent currently available, teams still looking for help on the dirt might be willing to offer a decent return despite the warts. While Gorman would surely have a lot more value if he turns in a big season in 2026, another lackluster campaign would likely leave him with little to no trade value. His departure would also create a path for the Cardinals to get both Thomas Saggese and top prospect JJ Wetherholt regular at-bats. Wetherholt figures to have an everyday job once he’s ready to debut regardless of Gorman’s presence, but Saggese might be relegated to a platoon or bench role without a trade.
How do MLBTR readers view the Cardinals’ situation? With a handful of theoretical trade candidates still on the roster, will they get another deal done before the regular season begins? Or will the players currently on the roster stick around until trade talks pick back up closer to the trade deadline? Have your say in the poll below:
Will the Cardinals make another trade before Opening Day?
Mets Interested In Willson Contreras, Lars Nootbaar
The Mets have grabbed headlines for the moves they haven’t made this offseason, namely watching Pete Alonso sign with Baltimore and Edwin Diaz head to Los Angeles. The club is actively working to add on the offensive side, though, with the Cardinals as a potential trade partner. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports the Mets have interest in outfielder Lars Nootbaar, while John Denton of MLB.com reports New York reached out about Willson Contreras.
Neither Contreras nor Nootbaar would replace the Alonso-sized void in the lineup, but both would fill holes in the roster. Contreras could slot right into Alonso’s vacated spot at first base, while Nootbaar would help cover the gap left by Brandon Nimmo, who was dealt to the Rangers.
Contreras and Nootbaar are just a couple of the many Cardinals popping up in trade conversations. Brendan Donovan is drawing widespread interest. JoJo Romero has intrigued several teams. Nolan Arenado has been a trade candidate for multiple seasons. Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson have been mentioned as possibly getting moved. Despite the interest around the league, nothing materialized during the Winter Meetings. “To some degree, it’s binary — either you have something or you don’t. Right now, we don’t,” president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom told reporters.
As Anthony Franco pointed out in this piece about replacing Alonso (Front Office subscription required), Contreras would be the most straightforward fit in the trade market. He has a no-trade clause, but is reportedly open to waiving it. Contreras is under contract for the next two seasons, with a club option for 2028. He’s slated to make $18MM next season and $18.5MM in 2027. The price tag isn’t exorbitant for his level of production, but it might be too costly for the rebuilding Cardinals to keep around.
Contreras has been a firmly above-average bat in his three seasons with St. Louis. He’s posted a wRC+ of at least 124 in each campaign. Contreras has a pair of 20-homer campaigns as a Cardinal, and the lone miss was his most productive year with the team. He hit 15 home runs in just 84 games in 2024, but a broken finger ended his season in late June.
The 33-year-old Contreras hasn’t missed a beat as he’s entered his 30s. His profile has arguably looked even better under the hood in recent years. Contreras posted a career-high 49% hard-hit rate this past season. He ranked 95th percentile in bat speed. Contreras has been one of the hardest swingers in the game since bat speed data became widely available.
The Nootbaar fit isn’t as seamless, largely due to availability. The outfielder had surgery on both heels in October and may miss the beginning of the 2026 season. The procedure may have already removed one team from contention for Nootbaar’s services. Replacing Nimmo’s strong on-base skills and steady all-around production will be difficult, but so will finding another option to match his durability. The former Met has topped 150 games in four straight seasons. The oft-injured Nootbaar has maxed out at 135 games in a season, and that came this past year, which ended with the double-heel surgery.
Nootbaar has generally been productive when available. He’s routinely posted well above-average walk rates and solid slugging numbers. Nootbaar is typically good for a dozen home runs, a handful of steals, and a respectable OBP. The 2025 season was a healthy one, but Nootbaar declined in production. He slashed just .234/.325/.361, recording his first sub-100 wRC+ since his rookie season in 2021.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
Cardinals Notes: Nootbaar, Cameron, Pitching
As one of the few teams in baseball in true rebuild mode, the Cardinals are open to offers on most players on their roster, yet some of the Cards’ most-cited trade candidates may be a little more available than others. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears from sources on rival teams that the Cardinals don’t seem to be “actively seeking to trade” outfielder Lars Nootbaar. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Nootbaar won’t be dealt, of course, but there are also some obvious reasons why the Cardinals might want to wait until beyond this offseason to move the 28-year-old.
Injuries have been a subplot of Nootbaar’s career, and while he hit new career highs in games played (135) and plate appearances (583) in 2025, he underwent surgery in October on both of his heels. The surgery was meant to address Haglund’s deformities, which are bone spurs that develop on the heel bone near the base of the Achilles tendon. It seems likely that playing through this discomfort led to Nootbaar’s underwhelming numbers in 2025, and it isn’t yet known if the recovery from the procedure will allow Nootbaar to be ready for Opening Day.
Between the health question mark and Nootbaar’s 96 wRC+ (from 13 homers and a .234/.325/.361 slash line), St. Louis would probably be selling low if Nootbaar was traded this winter. As such, it makes sense that the Cardinals would hang onto Nootbaar for now and see if he’s able to bounce back in the first half of the 2026 season, so a trade deadline move might be more realistic.
Trading Sonny Gray to the Red Sox cleared $20MM off of the Cardinals’ payroll ledger for 2026, and the team would also save a lot of money if Nolan Arenado or Willson Contreras were traded. There isn’t any similar financial pressure involved with a potential Nootbaar trade, as he is projected to earn $5.7MM this winter in the second of three trips through the arbitration process. That extra year of control gives the Cards more flexibility in allowing Nootbaar to get fully healthy before more properly shopping him to any interested teams.
President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has been open about his team’s desire to add starting pitching, whether it’s younger arms or (likely on short-term deals) more experienced hurlers. The Gray trade brought Richard Fitts and prospect Brandon Clarke into the fold, and St. Louis is expected to seek out more pitchers in other trades or in free agency. Whether or not the Cards explore free agent pitchers will hinge on what they can land on the trade front, Goold writes, so it may be yet be a while before the Cardinals look too deeply at signings given how much interest they’re getting in their various trade chips.
Other teams’ trade endeavors could also delay matters. For instance, Goold notes that some teams interested in Brendan Donovan for their second base vacancy also have interest in the Rays’ Brandon Lowe or even the Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte. If one of those players is dealt elsewhere, that eliminates one Donovan suitor, but also puts more pressure on other interested teams to up their offers to St. Louis in order to land a second baseman (though Donovan’s versatility also doesn’t limit his market just to keystone-needy teams).
Perhaps related to both the Cardinals’ pitching search and the Royals’ known interest in Donovan, Goold reports that the Cards “have had interest before in” Kansas City’s Noah Cameron. The 26-year-old southpaw is coming off an impressive debut season that saw Cameron finish fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting after posting a 2.99 ERA over 138 1/3 innings.
Between Cameron’s ability and multiple remaining years of team control, it would take a whole lot to pry the left-hander away from the Royals. While K.C. president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo has discussed his team’s openness to trading from its pitching depth for much-needed outfield help, Cameron would likely be one of the last arms the Royals would prefer to move. That said, adding a real impact bat to the lineup might require an impact pitcher in return, and Donovan’s market has been so crowded that the Royals might make to make a special offer to break away from the pack.
Cardinals Notes: Donovan, Gorman, Nootbaar, Burleson, Pirates, Pitching
Brendan Donovan has been drawing as much trade interest as any player in baseball, owing both to Donovan’s value as a left-handed hitter with defensive versatility and to the Cardinals’ rebuilding status. The Astros, Pirates, Royals, and Guardians have been publicly linked to Donovan’s trade market, and with these and more clubs in pursuit of the All-Star, the timing seems right for the Cards to cash in while Donovan’s value is at its peak.
That said, St. Louis isn’t required to move Donovan this offseason, since he still has two seasons remaining of arbitration eligibility. As The Athletic’s Katie Woo frames the situation, if the Cards can’t find the big return they want for Donovan, the team “will pivot to moving at least one of” Lars Nootbaar or Nolan Gorman. In another piece from Woo, Will Sammon, and Ken Rosenthal, Alec Burleson is another player the Cardinals won’t move “unless…blown away by an offer.”
All four of these hitters mentioned are lefty-swingers, so trading any of them would help balance out the St. Louis lineup and perhaps clear some room for another left-handed hitter in shortstop prospect JJ Wetherholt. Since Masyn Winn is an elite defensive shortstop, the Cardinals’ plan for Wetherholt seems to be to break him into the big leagues as a second or third baseman, so moving Donovan or Gorman in particular would clear a path in that regard. Trading Nolan Arenado would obviously also open up third base, though Arenado’s contract and no-trade protection makes moving him a trickier proposition than any of these other players, even though Arenado has expressed more of an openness to be dealt than he did last winter.
On the surface, the Cardinals’ stance is obvious. Donovan and Burleson were both much more productive than Gorman or Nootbaar in 2025, so naturally the latter two players seem to have less of a role in the Cards’ future plans. Formerly a top prospect in his own right, Gorman seemed to be figuring things out with a 27-homer season in 2023, but he has hit just .204/.284/.385 with 33 homers in 804 plate appearances over the last two seasons, with a whopping 287 strikeouts underlying Gorman’s contact problems. Nootbaar had been a more consistent performer before his numbers fell off during an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. The biggest obstacle to a Nootbaar trade seems to be his health, as he may not be ready for Opening Day following surgery to correct Haglund’s deformities on both his heels.
Moving Gorman or Nootbaar would obviously bring back less of a trade return than Donovan or Burleson. The Rangers were one team known to have interest in Nootbaar before word of his surgery became public, and the club’s subsequent trade for Brandon Nimmo would seemingly indicate that Texas has moved on from Nootbaar. The Pirates have shown interest in all of Nootbaar, Gorman, and Donovan, and Woo reports that Pittsburgh has also asked the team about Burleson.
Donovan and Nootbaar are controlled through the 2027 season, while Gorman and Burleson are arbitration-eligible for just the first time this winter and won’t be eligible free agency until the 2028-29 offseason. Burleson is coming off the best of his four MLB seasons, as he won Silver Slugger honors (from the NL utility position) after hitting .290/.343/.459 with 18 home runs over 546 PA in 2025. Burleson split his time between first base and both corner outfield slots this year, and while he is only passable defensively, his ability to play multiple positions gives the Cardinals some lineup flexibility. The appeal is obvious for a Pirates team looking for help all over the diamond, and for offensive help in general.
While the two NL Central rivals have rarely lined up on trades over the last few decades, the Pirates’ young pitching depth carries obvious trade appeal to a St. Louis team looking to restock their system with such arms. This week’s trade of Sonny Gray to the Red Sox not only cleared $20M off the Cardinals’ books, but it brought back pitchers who can help the Cards in 2026 (Richard Fitts) and further in the future (prospect Brandon Clarke).
Speaking with Woo, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold and other reporters after the trade, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said his team is aiming to add more pitching over the course of its offseason moves. This could include more experienced arms to eat innings and act as mentors to the younger hurlers, though Bloom indicated that such veterans might be more shorter-term additions.
“Not to put them in the way of any of our youth, but to make sure we have the right insulation up and down that rotation,” Bloom said. “We want to create some competition. We want to make sure we have options. And that we allow our young guys to flourish while making sure that next wave that we hope is coming doesn’t get pressed into service before it’s their time. We want to make sure they’re ready for the highest level of baseball before we throw them into the fire. So we will look to add to our rotation — whether it’s more youth or a veteran — as the winter goes on.”
Latest On Pirates’ Offseason Pursuits
The Pirates are looking to upgrade their offense for next year and are seemingly casting a wide net. They reportedly made a run at Josh Naylor before he re-signed with the Mariners and have been connected to free agent Kyle Schwarber. Per a report from Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic, they are also considering free agents such as Jorge Polanco, Kazuma Okamoto and Ryan O’Hearn. They have also checked in with the Cardinals about trade candidates Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman.
It’s been a long time since the Pirates have been big players in the offseason but recent reporting has suggested they could be more active this winter, at least relatively speaking. No one is expecting them to suddenly be a player for someone like Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette but there is some smoke suggesting they could push things further than in the past. They’ve still never given a free agent a guarantee larger than the three years and $39MM they gave to Francisco Liriano over a decade ago. Their most recent multi-year deal for a free agent was two years for Ivan Nova in 2016.
It’s a low bar to clear but it’s possible the Bucs set new benchmarks in those categories. Per The Athletic, it’s possible that is related to the upcoming expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement. The CBA is up just over a year from now and teams may want to look like they are spending their revenue sharing money, in order to keep receiving it in the next CBA. However, the report suggests this is likely more of an issue for the Marlins than the Bucs since Pittsburgh got their competitive balance tax number over $105MM in 2025. That was the target for the A’s in 2025 as they looked to increase their CBT number in order to avoid a grievance from the MLBPA.
Even if the CBA stuff isn’t relevant, there are plenty of straightforward baseball reasons for the Pirates to get more aggressive. They haven’t made the postseason since 2015 and haven’t finished above .500 since 2018. They have a strong collection of controllable and affordable starting pitchers. The group is headlined by Paul Skenes, who is controlled for four more seasons, but he’s just a year away from arbitration and the associated salary increases. Konnor Griffin is considered by some to be the top prospect in the sport right now. He reached Double-A this year and could make his big league debut in 2026, even though he doesn’t turn 20 years old until April.
Put it all together and there’s a good case that now is the time to strike. Upgrading the offense is an obvious goal. The team had a collective .231/.305/.350 batting line in 2025. That resulted in an 82 wRC+, putting them ahead of just the Rockies among MLB clubs. Spencer Horwitz was the only guy on the team to post a wRC+ higher than 101. They have a lot of work to do but a lot of ways they can add.
Polanco has spent many years as a strong bat who can play the infield. He had an injury-marred 2024 but bounced back with the Mariners in 2025. He hit 26 home runs and slashed .265/.326/.495 for a 132 wRC. Early in the year, the Mariners frequently kept him in the designated hitter slot, as it seemed he wasn’t 100% recovered from his knee surgery. However, later in the year, he was playing second base fairly regularly.
MLBTR predicted Polanco could secure a three-year, $42MM deal this offseason. That would surpass the aforementioned Liriano deal, but only barely. The Bucs have Horwitz at first base but their infield is fairly open apart from that. As mentioned, Griffin coming up in 2026 to take over shortstop is a possibility but probably not something to be banked on today. Otherwise, Pittsburgh has a cluster of multi-positional infield guys like Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales, Nick Yorke, Tsung-Che Cheng and Enmanuel Valdéz.
Polanco would be an obvious upgrade over the guys in that cluster, who could each end up in utility roles or optioned to the minors. However, he’s sure to have interest elsewhere. For instance, the Mariners are known to want to bring him back.
O’Hearn wouldn’t be as smooth of a fit. He’s best suited to be a first baseman, where the Bucs have Horwitz. The designated hitter spot is open right now, though it’s possible the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen circle back to each other later. O’Hearn can play a bit of outfield and the Bucs do have room there next to Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, so perhaps there’s a way to make it work.
He is coming off a three-year run wherein he slashed .277/.343/.445 for a 121 wRC+. That’s a strong stretch but he’s a tad on the older side for a position player free agent since he’s 32. MLBTR predicted he could secure a two-year, $26MM deal. If that proves to be correct, the Bucs wouldn’t even have to stretch into uncharted waters to get it done.
Okamoto is a bit more of a wild card since he’s coming over from Japan and isn’t proven as a major leaguer but reports suggest he should be a viable big league bat. He hit at least 27 home runs in seven straight seasons of Nippon Professional Baseball from 2018 to 2024. In 2025, he was limited by injury to just 69 games but still hit 15 homers and slashed .327/.416/.598 for a 210 wRC+. There are mixed opinions about whether he can stick at third base or if he’s destined to move to first.
MLBTR predicted him to land a four-year, $64MM deal. The signing club will also owe a posting fee to the Yomiuri Giants, relative to the size of the guarantee. If he does secure a $64MM deal, the posting fee would be $11.5MM. Put those two figures together and the Bucs might have to double their commitment to Liriano to get something done here.
As for the guys in St. Louis, the Cardinals are known to be entering a rebuilding phase. They kicked things off by dealing Sonny Gray to the Red Sox today, the first of several seller moves expected from that club this offseason. Donovan and Nootbaar are each controlled for another two years. Assuming the Cards don’t expect to return to contention in that window, it makes sense to listen on both. Gorman is controlled for three more seasons but is also less established as a viable big leaguer, so the Cards probably aren’t clinging to him too tightly.
Since he is a strong hitter and can play multiple positions, Donovan makes sense as a target for almost every team. He’s already been publicly connected to the Astros, Royals and Guardians but that’s presumably not an exhaustive list of his suitors. He has hit .282/.361/.411 for a 119 wRC+ in his career while playing all four infield spots and the outfield corners. He underwent sports hernia surgery at the end of the 2025 season but is expected to be fine by spring training.
Nootbaar doesn’t have Donovan’s versatility, as he’s just an outfielder. His bat is enticing but he’s coming off a down year and his health status is more questionable. From 2022 to 2024, he slashed .246/.351/.426 for a wRC+ of 118. In 2025, he dropped to a .234/.325/.361 line and 96 wRC+. He recently underwent surgery to shave down Haglund’s deformities on both heels and may not be fully recuperated by the start of 2026.
Gorman has real power and can take his walks but also has problems with strikeouts. He has 74 home runs in his 1,581 plate appearances but has also been punched out at an untenable 34% clip. Since the start of 2024, he has a .204/.284/.385 line and 87 wRC+. He has mostly played second base but has had a lot of time at third as well, in addition to brief showings at first and in left field.
Donovan is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to make just $5.4MM next year, with Nootbaar projected for $5.7MM and Gorman $2.9MM. That makes them all more affordable than the free agent options but the Bucs would also have to send prospects the other way.
It can sometimes be difficult to pull off trades among teams who share a division but the Bucs don’t seem to mind. They recently lined up a notable deal with the Reds, sending Ke’Bryan Hayes to Cincinnati ahead of the deadline. If the Cards aren’t going to contend for the next few years, perhaps they wouldn’t be bothered if their former players are in Pittsburgh during that window.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Latest On Cardinals’ Offseason Plans
With Chaim Bloom now officially at the helm of the Cardinals’ baseball operations department, the rebuilding phase that the team has been expected to undergo since it was announced that Bloom would take over for John Mozeliak this offseason now looks likely to begin in earnest. That means exploring possibilities on the trade market, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals told agents during the GM Meetings this past week that their interest in at least some free agents will hinge on the team’s ability to clear salary in trades.
The big name so far in this winter’s rumor mill has been super utility man Brendan Donovan. Donovan has already been connected to Royals, Guardians, and Astros with other teams expected to be involved as well. Robust as the market for the 28-year-old’s services appears to be, clearing his salary (which MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects to land at $5.4MM in 2026) off the books won’t do much for the team’s bottom line. Of course, Donovan is far from the only name on the trade market from St. Louis. Six Cardinals appeared on MLBTR’s list of the Top 40 Trade Candidates for this offseason.
That includes three veterans making significant money: right-hander Sonny Gray, third baseman Nolan Arenado, and catcher-turned-first baseman Willson Contreras. Ownership is reportedly willing to include cash in trades of higher priced veterans, and the club’s trio of veterans with no-trade clauses have all expressed a willingness to be more lax with their no-trade protections than they were last winter. Goold writes that the Cardinals are “actively seeking “fits”” for both Arenado and Gray on the trade market. That’s hardly a surprise between St. Louis’s efforts to move Arenado all throughout last winter and the $40MM payout that Gray is guaranteed between his $35MM salary in 2026 and a $5MM buyout on his 2027 option.
Even if some salary is retained, moving Gray and Arenado would open up the club’s finances considerably. RosterResource projects the Cardinals for a $124MM payroll in 2026. While that’s down about $20MM from last year and nearly $40MM from two years ago, ownership and the front office have been candid about the plan to scale back payroll in recent years. If trading both Gray and Arenado can clear $30MM to $40MM off the Cardinals’ books this year, however, that should give them a lot more flexibility when perusing free agency for short-term upgrades who could either help the club compete next year or become trade chips themselves over the summer.
Notably absent from Goold’s roundup of rumors is Contreras. That’s an interesting development, as Contreras would likely be the easiest of the three to move in theory. With that being said, he’s also the one most hesitant to waive his no-trade protection. While he’s indicated he would be willing to consider possible trades, his preference remains to stay in St. Louis and serve as a veteran leader in a clubhouse that figures to get a lot younger as the team retools the roster. A surprise trade of Contreras could lessen the pressure to move both Gray and Arenado or open up even more possibilities on the trade market for St. Louis, but it’s fair to expect that the Cardinals will spend most of their energy on trying to move the veterans most willing to waive their no-trade clauses.
Looking beyond the club’s pricey veterans, Donovan is joined by players like Lars Nootbaar and JoJo Romero as potential trade chips Goold writes that the Cardinals told rival clubs they were willing to listen on. Goold notes all three of those players are within two years of free agency, a fact that’s also true of both Gray and Arenado. The only other players with less than three years of team control remaining in the organization are John King, who was reportedly a trade candidate over the summer, and post-deadline waiver claim Jorge Alcala. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see King’s name come back up in the rumor mill at some point, though Alcala seems unlikely to have any real trade value after posting an ERA north of 6.00 this past year.
In terms of the return for the players they look to deal, Goold adds that the Cardinals have made clear to rival clubs that they’re prioritizing pitching help and looking towards the future. Kansas City and Cleveland, as previously mentioned, are already known to be in the mix for Donovan and have the sort of young, controllable pitching available that could intrigue the Cardinals. The same could be true of teams like the Yankees and Dodgers who have previously expressed interest in Donovan as well. One intriguing fit could be with the Pirates.
In-division trades typically aren’t especially common, but Pittsburgh GM Ben Cherington has shown himself to be comfortable dealing with the Cardinals in the past, such as when the sides came together on a trade involving Jose Quintana and Johan Oviedo at the 2022 trade deadline. The Pirates have plenty of young pitching and are in need of help in the outfield that both Donovan and Nootbaar could potentially provide. Bloom’s old stomping grounds of Boston also have a rich collection of young pitching, though their existing glut of left-handed outfield talent could make them a less than ideal fit for someone like Donovan and especially Nootbaar.
Rangers Had Interest In Lars Nootbaar Prior To October Surgery
The Rangers are looking for several new bats as they look to, as GM Ross Fenstermaker indicated at season’s end, improve their on-base percentage and contact skills. Newly installed manager Skip Schumaker has already spoken about finding a new offensive identity. One potential target who had popped up on the Rangers’ radar, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, was Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar. Goold writes that the Cardinals are open to hearing what other clubs will offer on Nootbaar and adds that the Rangers and at least one other AL club had shown interest in the 28-year-old outfielder. That, however, came prior to the public revelation that Nootbaar was undergoing surgery on both heels to address Haglund deformities.
At present, it’s not clear whether Nootbaar will be ready for Opening Day. Newly minted Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said two weeks ago that Opening Day is neither firmly off the table nor a guarantee for Nootbaar. His readiness (or lack thereof) is still up in the air and hinges on the speed of his recovery. It’s also not clear to what extent (if any) the procedure has cooled the Rangers’ interest.
Even if Texas is out on Nootbaar entirely, the team’s interest in him is telling in some regards. On paper, the Rangers seem to have a full outfield. Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Adolis García are currently projected to line up from left to right field. However, García is coming off two consecutive poor seasons at the plate and projected to earn more than $12MM in what’ll be his final trip through the arbitration process. Given his recent struggles, mounting price tag and the Rangers’ desire to improve their on-base and contact skills, García stands as a trade candidate or non-tender candidate. Interest in Nootbaar, whose best defensive grades have come in right field — the same position García occupies in Texas — at least supports the notion that García is on somewhat shaky ground.
Nootbaar’s projected $5.7MM salary in arbitration is less than half that of García. He also sports one of the lowest chase rate on balls out of the strike zone, per Statcast: 26th lowest among (21.5%) among the 215 big league hitters who took at least 400 plate appearances in 2025. García, conversely, has the 26th-highest chase rate at a whopping 35.1%. Nootbaar’s 20.4% strikeout rate isn’t all that far south of league average, but it’s several ticks lower than that of García. Additionally, Nootbaar’s contact rate is about four percentage points higher than average, while his swinging-strike rate is about 3.5 percentage points lower than average.
There’s little sense in reading too heavily into one individual target, but interest in Nootbaar supports the idea that the Rangers, who had the tenth-highest chase rate in MLB as a team and the eight-worst walk rate, are looking for a different type of approach at the plate. Nootbaar, like García, draws strong defensive marks for his corner outfield work. He lacks García’s raw power but still makes hard contact at plus levels.
The salary discrepancy between the two players is of some note, too. When announcing at season’s end that Bruce Bochy would not be returning as the Rangers’ manager, president of baseball operations said that when Bochy was hired in 2022, the team had “a little more certainty in terms of payroll” before adding, “We don’t have that at this point” (link via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News).
That doesn’t necessarily indicate that Texas will gut payroll in extreme fashion this winter, but Nootbaar’s salary is far more palatable than a projected $12.1MM for García. Texas finished the 2025 season with a payroll north of $224MM and currently is projected for a $198MM payroll in 2026 (per RosterResource) before making a single offseason move.