Could Cardinals Cut Ties With 27-Year-Old Fan-Favorite In Blockbuster?

The Cardinals are in an interesting spot right now

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

There has been a lot of chatter about the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason but nothing really to show for it yet.

The Cardinals didn't bring back Paul Goldschmidt in free agency, but that seemed like a near guarantee pretty early on in the offseason. The Cardinals declined club options for Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson for the 2025 season. Those both also seemed like pretty easy choices.

Aside from those decisions, nothing major has happened despite a plethora of trade rumors. Third baseman Nolan Arenado surely could be on the move but everything has just been talk to this point.

The Cardinals said they want to "reset" the organization this offseason but what does that mean? They want to lower payroll and get younger, but what moves will they actually make?

Just Baseball's Caleb Moody took a look at the Cardinals' roster as things stand now and discussed potential trades. He broke players down but the likeliness of a deal. Cardinals fan-favorite Lars Nootbaar fell into the category of "It’s Worth Having the Conversation."

"The 27-year-old has continued to decline from the 123 wRC+ player he was in 2022 and saw his AVG, OBP, and SLG all drop to some degree from 2023 to 2024," Moody said. "In 405 plate appearances last season, he slashed .244/.342/.417 with a 114 wRC+ and a 1.7 fWAR.

"But Nootbaar is a data darling, with a disciplined approach at the plate (100th-percentile chase rate and 98th-percentile walk rate) and the ability to hit the ball hard (91st-percentile hard-hit rate and 88th-percentile AVG exit velocity). And with three years of team control remaining while still being under 30, Nootbaar holds considerable value at a cheap price."

Nootbaar is someone who would be nice to have around for a long time, but he also could have a lot of trade value because of his age and the fact that he has years of control left. If the Cardinals do decide to make a lot of moves this offseason, Nootbaar would be an interesting player to watch.

More MLB: Braves Urged To Trade For Cardinals' $7.5 Million Breakout Star