Sorry, Cardinals fans, but Lars Nootbaar is very tradeable
What is so special about this guy?
Lars Nootbaar is a fine ballplayer. He’s fast, plays a good outfield, has some pop in his bat, and carries a good personality. But what else?
Question: Would he be as popular and sensational if he had a different name? Would the pepper grinding and enthusiasm be as potent if his name was Bob Jones?
It’s only partially serious, but I need more than what I see on Fangraphs and from analysts. Where’s the idea that this guy shouldn’t be traded? Outside of the fear of him turning into another Randy Arozarena or Lane Thomas (instead of a Stephen Piscotty or Allen Craig), how does this guy belong in the same group as Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker?
The questions are asked because I am generally confused about this guy’s appeal. For the season, Nootbaar is hitting .261 with 7 homers and a .762 OPS. Last year in a frenzy second half, he finished with 14 homers and .788 OPS in just 108 games. Impressive and the budding of something bigger, but not juicy enough to hold onto him.
You can’t be gun shy about acquiring starters that aren’t low hanging fruit or trading outfielders, and be good at your job. Nootbaar’s biggest strength is reaching base, as his career .364 on base percentage backs up. But are we keeping a guy for that, in a season where a serious retool is in order? It’s good for a guy to possess a certain ability, but there needs to be more. Something that makes him close to unmovable.
While I haven’t heard many pundits and sports minds call him untouchable, plenty have put him in high importance for next year and beyond. I’d like to tell those people to calm down. If he’s here and producing at this clip or higher, great. But if he’s not, Bob Jones will be fine somewhere else.
It’s not like I dislike Noot. Again, he’s a fine ballplayer, and capable of more possibly. The road blockage is when people start to build a story that their proposed star isn’t ready for.
The trade deadline this summer must be a well-constructed formation of moves that elevate the team to a higher place for 2024. They have to insert a no-holds-barred approach that may end up cutting ties with fan favorites. Remember when Mozeliak traded Joe Kelly? It made a lot of sense, and helped the team unload a doomed Craig contract and pick up a baseball cowboy.
Keep an open mind, my friends.
Photo Credit: Jeff Curry/USA Today Sports
Everyone on the team is very tradeable. However, Noot is one of those for whom the bar is the highest, in terms of return value required to pull the trigger. He still is under team control for several more years at a very low salary, so there’s little incentive to move him. Also, he has shown an ability to improve at the big league level, unlike guys like Carlson and Flaherty who have plateaued or regressed. Make no mistake, however, if Cards were a single piece or two from being WS contenders, they’d deal Noot in a heartbeat. However, that is not the case.