Solid Cardinals outfielder could be perfect offseason trade target for SF Giants

With the SF Giants currently taking on the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game series at Oracle Park, they are getting a great look at outfielder Lars Nootbaar who could be a perfect trade target for the Giants in the offseason.

With the Giants all but eliminated from the playoffs, it is time to start looking ahead to the offseason. The team has a number of holes they need to address and one of them will be in the outfield.

SF Giants could trade for outfielder Lars Nootbaar in the offseason

After the Giants traded away their longtime right fielder Mike Yastrzemski at the trade deadline, they have been trying to figure out if any of their young options could have staying power out in right field.

Luis Matos got hot for a bit but now finds himself back in Triple-A as his future with the Giants is very much in question. Drew Gilbert got hot for a bit and definitely provided some fun energy during the team's hot streak, but he is currently slashing just .200/.247/.378. There was a time when Buster Posey may have been questioning whether right field was really an area of need, but it seems clear the Giants need to make an addition to the outfield.

That is where Nootbaar could come into play. The 28-year-old has been a solid player with the Cardinals since 2021. His career slash line is .243/.341/.407 with 58 homers and 194 runs driven in. This season he is slashing .236/.324/.365 with 13 homers and 48 runs batted in.

His offensive profile seems comparable to Yastrzemski's as a left-handed corner outfielder with some pop. He is no Kyle Tucker, but given the way San Francisco's pursuit of free agent sluggers typically goes they should probably have a contingency plan if they do not land a big free agent outfielder.

Nootbaar is under team control for the next few seasons and played 2025 on a $2.95 million contract. That is totally reasonable for the kind of player he is and if the Giants acquired him and settled on a contract in the $3-3.5 million range that would be a solid value for what he brings to the table.

The Cardinals ultimately decided not to trade Nootbaar at the trade deadline even though his name came up in rumors. Yet, with St. Louis in a similar spot to the Giants they may be looking to move some pieces around.

The Giants have other areas of the roster to address in the offseason, so if they want to get a solid corner outfielder at a reasonable price then trading for Nootbaar would be a very sensible move.

More from Around the Foghorn: