New York Mets trade idea would bring in an excellent outfielder who would fit in well with Juan Soto
New York Mets trade idea would bring in an excellent outfielder who would fit in well with Juan Soto originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The New York Mets may have an opportunity to upgrade their outfield if the St. Louis Cardinals continue to reshape their roster. One potential name to watch is Lars Nootbaar , who has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate.
According to Mike Axisa of CBS Sports, Nootbaar could be a logical trade candidate as St. Louis continues to head in a different direction.
The Cardinals made major moves during the offseason under the new president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, moving veteran players elsewhere as the franchise looks toward the future.
“New POBO Chaim Bloom had an active offseason and moved nearly every veteran on the St. Louis roster ( Nolan Arenado , Willson Contreras , Brendan Donovan , Sonny Gray , etc.),” Axisa wrote. Only Nootbaar remains, possibly because he had double heel surgery early in the offseason.
“Even without fully reaching his offensive ceiling, Nootbaar has proven to be a valuable player with an interesting skill set. He has never fully launched and lived up to the terrific contact quality numbers (exit velocity, etc.), though Nootbaar is a very good and very valuable player,” Axisa wrote.
“He can hit leadoff and play center field in a pinch, and you needn't try hard to convince yourself there's upside beyond the near .800 OPS he's posted throughout his career.”
Nootbaar is one of those guys who seems to have a lot of tools but can't show them off in a weird Cardinals lineup.
Perhaps playing for a team like the Mets would change that, as he'd be surrounded by a bunch of elite hitters.
