The St. Louis Cardinals continue their offseason hunt for more controllable pitching. Lars Nootbaar is a Statcast darling with two years remaining of team control. Putting those together creates a trade chip that could garner substantial talent in return.
But...in the last four years, Noot has missed 28% of games played due to injuries. Noot's OPS+ has fallen each year since his breakout 2022 season. This winter, Noot is rehabbing from his surgery for Haglund's deformities in hopes of an April return to the lineup. That said, an "upside" return might be more prudent than holding an asset for only the possibility of a "substantial" return.