“Other names to watch are Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman, who are seen as pivot points for teams looking to land left-handed help at a lesser price,” Sammon, Rosenthal, and Woo wrote. “Gorman, 25, struggled with a high strikeout rate (33.8 percent) for the second consecutive season, but teams could be willing to take a chance on him given his prodigious power. Nootbaar, 28, underwent double heel surgery at the end of the season. His status for Opening Day is in question, but he is not expected to miss much time in April. The Cardinals are inclined to part with at least one of the two in order to alleviate roster redundancies.”
Gorman has played for St. Louis over the last four seasons. His best campaign was in 2023. That season, he played in 119 games and hit 27 homers while driving in 76 runs. Plus, that was at just 23 years old. He looked like a long-term fixture for the team, but the last two seasons have been a struggle for him.
Nootbaar played in a career-high 135 games in 2025 but took a hit offensively. He was banged up a bit, as shown through his double heel surgery that he underwent shortly after the season ended.
Neither Gorman nor Nootbaar likely has high trade value right now. Gorman is younger, but both of these guys have their own question marks right now. Regardless, there’s a surplus of left-handed bats on the roster so moving at least one would be viewed as addition by subtraction for the guys on the roster who get bigger opportunities.