Inside The Pinstripes

New York Yankees Trade Idea Would Add Intriguing Player From St. Louis Cardinals

The New York Yankees have been often connected with the St. Louis Cardinals for Nolan Arenado, but there may be another bat to consider on that team.

Dylan Sanders

Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) bats against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Oracle Park.
Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) bats against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
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The New York Yankees have often been connected with the St. Louis Cardinals in trade talks surrounding third baseman Nolan Arenado, but there could be another intriguing batter to watch this year.

The Cardinals are in the middle of a rebuild, which could lead to a number of veterans being available throughout the season.

One such player is outfielder Lars Nootbaar.

FanSided's Jacob Mountz posed Nootbaar as a potential option to replace the loss of Giancarlo Stanton, and he came up with a potential trade package that could get the deal done.

This proposed move would see the Yankees send prospects Roderick Arias and Rafael Flores to St. Louis in exchange for Nootbaar.

The 27-year-old broke out into stardom during the 2023 World Baseball Classic after representing the Japanese national team.

He has been a fan favorite with the Cardinals and seems to be a very solid clubhouse guy who has the potential to provide a serviceable bat while New York waits for Stanton to get healthy.

Nootbaar has been fairly consistent in St. Louis for the past few years.

Since 2021, he has a .246/.351/.426 slash line with a 116 OPS+ and an average of 13 home runs.

While that may not be as dynamic as someone like Stanton, the Cardinals outfielder would have a spot on any winning team.

The 27-year-old draws a ton of walks while rarely striking out. He is patient at the plate and can turn that into a fair amount of hits.

He would at least make sure Stanton's spot doesn't become a negative in his absence, while also being a perfect fourth-outfielder and potential starter when the roster is healthy.

Nootbaar is under team control through 2027, so he wouldn't cost a ton for the next couple of years.

Arias would be the top prospect given up in this deal, currently No. 7 in the Yankees' pipeline.

He is a switch-hitting middle infielder who could be a defensive ace, but is expendable for a team like New York since his bat has potential, but needs a bit of work.

He fits the St. Louis timeline much closer to the one for the Yankees.

Flores, New York's No. 17 prospect, would be icing on the cake.

He went undrafted back in 2021, but has done well for himself in the minors with a .279/.379/.495 slash line and 21 home runs last year.

These are guys the Yankees don't want to give up, but may be worth it to add a great puzzle piece to their championship-hopeful roster.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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