Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar was one of the players St. Louis Brass announced was undergoing surgery earlier this month, when he went under the knife on Oct. 7 to shave away Haglund’s deformities in both heels. At the time, Nootbaar’s timetable for a return to action was unclear, but today president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom revealed Matt Pauley of KMOX Sports in a radio interview that Opening Day is not completely off the table after his surgery and is not completely guaranteed for Nootbaar. Bloom added that they don’t plan to rush the rehab process to get him back in time for the start of the season, but if he were to miss time to open the season, his absences would be limited.
As far as timelines for off-season operations go, Nootbaar’s doesn’t seem too concerning. Of course, it wouldn’t be ideal if he missed time to open the 2026 season, but with the Cardinals heading into a likely rebuilding phase, it’s unlikely that the handful of games Nootbaar is in danger of missing early in the season will be the difference in the club’s postseason chances next year. Considering Nootbaar is coming off a career-worst season, hitting just .234/.325/.361 (96 wRC+) after three consecutive seasons in which he posted a wRC+ of 114 or higher, a few extra missed days early in the season would certainly be worth it for the Cardinals if it means Nootbaar puts his best foot forward as he attempts to return to the more robust attacking form that he had shown in previous seasons.
The 28-year-old will be under team control with St. Louis for two more seasons before hitting free agency during the 2027-28 offseason. For a Cardinals team that might not get back into contention until Nootbaar is already a free agent, he’s certainly a logical trade candidate. Today’s news of Nootbaar’s uncertain status on Opening Day may make the likelihood of a trade a little less likely, but the impact on its market is likely to be relatively negligible at best.
After all, clubs already knew Nootbaar would be recovering from surgery this offseason and his poor performance last year might have made the Cardinals hesitate to give him a deal before giving him a chance to recover and improve his performance after his recent surgery. St. Louis has little incentive to risk selling low on Nootbaar, as he could theoretically be dealt at the 2026 trade deadline and still be available to an interested club for two pennant races and be eligible for a qualifying bid after the 2027 season, should the QO still exist after the next round of collective bargaining next winter.
Looking at the Cardinals’ current depth chart, the possibility of Nootbaar losing a few games to open the year shouldn’t be too much of an issue if the rest of the team’s positional corps remains healthy. Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II, Alec BurlesonAnd Brendan Donovan could all see time in the outfield next year, not to mention potential depth options like Nathan Church And Michael Siani behind that primary group. It is generally believed that Donovan will likely spend more time in the infield next year, especially if the club is able to make a trade Nolan Arenado this winter, but Nolan Gorman And Thomas Saggese Donovan should be able to fill in if he plays in the outfield.
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