Ideal SF Giants outfield trade target may be on the shelf to start 2026

The SF Giants are likely going to have to add an outfielder this offseason. One ideal target seemed to be Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals, but his recent surgery may force him to miss the start of the 2026 MLB season.

Nootbaar underwent surgery on both of his heels and there is the chance that he could miss the start of the 2026 season although it does not seem this will be a long-term rehab.

Ideal SF Giants trade target undergoes surgery

The Cardinals are entering a rebuilding phase this offseason which could mean they sell off a decent number of their regular players as they try to plan for the future. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray has been connected to the Giants already, so there is a chance that the Giants could try to bring over multiple Cardinals players in a trade.

The reason Nootbaar makes sense for the Giants is because there is a hole in right field for the team. After trading away Mike Yastrzemski at the trade deadline, the Giants held open auditions in right field for the rest of the season and no one took the job and ran with it even if young players like Luis Matos and Drew Gilbert got hot for a week or two.

The Giiants need a little more stability out there and Nootbaar could provide that. The 28-year-old slashed .234/.325/.361 with 13 home runs and 48 runs batted in over 135 games. Those numbers are a bit of a decline from the ones that he put up in 2023 and 2024, but they roughly represent the kind of production Yastrzemski would bring to the table.

This minor decline coupled with Nootbaar's surgery could potentially allow the Giants to get Nootbaar at something of a discount. His contract should be fairly affordable as he made $2.95 million in 2025.

Having him in right field would at least provide a more proven veteran presence out there. Gilbert or Matos could still serve as the team's fourth outfielder and could potentially even break into the lineup if they take a big step forward, but at least to start the season the Giants would be wise to have someone more seasoned out there.

We know new manager Tony Vitello loves Gilbert dating back to their time together at the University of Tennessee, but it would be a shock to see him as the starting right fielder to start the year barring an injury.

A trade for Nootbaar is not nearly as exciting as signing Kyle Tucker. It would be like getting a Fig Newton (Nooton?) rather than a Snickers bar, but sometimes you need some Newtons on the team because they get the job done even if a kid would wretch if you put one in their Halloween candy basket.