Desperate for offensive depth, the Arizona Diamondbacks landed a versatile St. Louis Cardinals outfielder.
At the buzzer, the Arizona Diamondbacks managed to acquire outfielder Lars Nootbaar from the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals made it very clear they were sellers, especially when they dealt a starter and reliever to a division rival.
In what turned out to be a rather uneventful day for the D-backs, they finally made a move just minutes before the trade deadline came to a close.
Nootbaar, 28, is a left-handed hitter who is hitting .234 this season. His .688 OPS isn't anything to get too excited about, but this team desperately needed to add a bat, and now no one can say they didn't do so.
Nootbaar heads to Arizona
In a deal that was first announced by ESPN's Jorge Castillo, the Diamondbacks came to terms on a deal with someone who's been in the big leagues since 2021.
Nootbaar has only ever played for the Cardinals, so this'll be the first time he has a change of scenery in his six-year career.
The California native returns to the West Coast as he leaves a seller for an Arizona Diamondbacks team that is hungry to make the Wild Card.
Nootbaar was acquired for his bat, no doubt, but he's an extremely versatile outfielder, which will help the D-backs stay fresh. Here in 2026, he's played all three positions, but is primarily a left fielder.
Overall, his career batting average sits at .241, so that's right around the type of production the Cardinals have gotten out of him this season. For what it's worth, he was a 3.3 player back in 2023, but that number has fallen to 0.3 during the 48 games he's played in this year.
What did the Diamondbacks have to give up?
While the deal is pending medicals, The Athletic's Katie Woo confirmed two of the players Arizona had to give up in order to bring in Nootbaar.
Double-A pitchers Daniel Eagen and Sando Santana are heading to St. Louis in a prospect heavy package. For what it's worth, there is a third player that will be named at a later date.
Eagen is a right-handed pitcher who's the No. 5 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization. Sure, Nootbaar has another year of arbitration, but that's a hefty price to pay for someone who is hitting lower than .250.
As for Santana, he's a left-handed pitcher who's the Diamondbacks No. 26-ranked prospect. While they were able to protect No. 3 David Hagaman, it's interesting to see how much they had to give up, especially with a third unknown player still in the mix.
