The Astros have interest in Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. That’s about as unsurprising a link as there’ll be this summer, as Houston has been searching for a reliable lefty-hitting outfielder for more than a year. GM Dana Brown walked back the handedness aspect a little over the weekend but reiterated that they’re looking for an offensive boost from their outfield. There’s a greater supply of lefty bats and many other teams prioritizing righty-swinging outfielders, so it’d make more sense for Houston to come away with a left-handed hitter.
Nootbaar is hitting .241/.347/.366 in 45 games since returning from last year’s surgery to address Haglund’s deformities on both heels. He hit very well upon initially being reinstated from the injured list in early June. Nootbaar has had a tough July, including a .195 batting average without a home run in 13 games since the All-Star Break, but his overall slash line is right around league average. He’s typically a solid but not elite hitter whose game is built mostly around a high walk rate and good on-base marks.
St. Louis is still in a retool and could move Nootbaar to take a late-season look at power-hitting outfield prospect Joshua Baez. Rome reports that the Cardinals have placed a high asking price that might deter the Astros, but it’s possible that’ll come down in the next few days. Houston doesn’t have a deep farm system but has a couple Top 100 adjacent prospects (Xavier Neyens and Kevin Alvarez) and could market controllable swingman AJ Blubaugh for help in another area.
Astros left fielders have been middle of the pack this season offensively, but that’s thanks mostly to Yordan Alvarez killing the ball in his handful of starts there. They’ve been playing Taylor Trammell, Zach Dezenzo and LaMonte Wade Jr. at the position when Alvarez has been at designated hitter. It’s a clear area for upgrade. Houston also could use a center fielder and should be involved on other outfield trade candidates like Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and Trevor Larnach as well.
Nootbaar is controllable through next season and playing on a $5.25MM arbitration salary. He’s due around $1.6MM for the rest of the year. As shown on MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, Houston is about $8MM shy of the $244MM luxury tax line. They’re likely to have limited financial flexibility but could certainly fit Nootbaar’s salary into the short-term budget.
Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
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FrankTheTank
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Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
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45s
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
I didn’t think I would ever see the words “reliable “ and “nootbarr “ in the same story…
terrible move for H
an example of why Brown is soon out of the door…
terrible move for H
an example of why Brown is soon out of the door…
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Melville
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
How good are the medical facilities in Houston? Hospitals? ER's? Flight for Life? Assisted living? Must be high level if the Astros see Mootbaar as a good fit....FrankTheTank wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 16:33 pm https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
The Astros have interest in Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. That’s about as unsurprising a link as there’ll be this summer, as Houston has been searching for a reliable lefty-hitting outfielder for more than a year. GM Dana Brown walked back the handedness aspect a little over the weekend but reiterated that they’re looking for an offensive boost from their outfield. There’s a greater supply of lefty bats and many other teams prioritizing righty-swinging outfielders, so it’d make more sense for Houston to come away with a left-handed hitter.
Nootbaar is hitting .241/.347/.366 in 45 games since returning from last year’s surgery to address Haglund’s deformities on both heels. He hit very well upon initially being reinstated from the injured list in early June. Nootbaar has had a tough July, including a .195 batting average without a home run in 13 games since the All-Star Break, but his overall slash line is right around league average. He’s typically a solid but not elite hitter whose game is built mostly around a high walk rate and good on-base marks.
St. Louis is still in a retool and could move Nootbaar to take a late-season look at power-hitting outfield prospect Joshua Baez. Rome reports that the Cardinals have placed a high asking price that might deter the Astros, but it’s possible that’ll come down in the next few days. Houston doesn’t have a deep farm system but has a couple Top 100 adjacent prospects (Xavier Neyens and Kevin Alvarez) and could market controllable swingman AJ Blubaugh for help in another area.
Astros left fielders have been middle of the pack this season offensively, but that’s thanks mostly to Yordan Alvarez killing the ball in his handful of starts there. They’ve been playing Taylor Trammell, Zach Dezenzo and LaMonte Wade Jr. at the position when Alvarez has been at designated hitter. It’s a clear area for upgrade. Houston also could use a center fielder and should be involved on other outfield trade candidates like Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and Trevor Larnach as well.
Nootbaar is controllable through next season and playing on a $5.25MM arbitration salary. He’s due around $1.6MM for the rest of the year. As shown on MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, Houston is about $8MM shy of the $244MM luxury tax line. They’re likely to have limited financial flexibility but could certainly fit Nootbaar’s salary into the short-term budget.
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Futuregm2
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
Their system is terrible though
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noted
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Francis Park Thug
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Futuregm2
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
Yea, but it makes it more likely to get a decent prospect from a good system than a bad one. You're not getting a top 5 or probably 10 prospect for him. From a bad system you're talking about [shirt] then, but from a good system you might get a somewhat decent prospect.
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45s
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45s
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
His contract expires sept 27
Crane has given no indication he will be retained
Same goes for Espada….
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C-Unit
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
Nootbaar would be perfect for the (donkey)-Hoes. They have a shortage of league average outfielders.
We will take Brice Mathews, a versatile young man who comin straight up out the H.
We will take Brice Mathews, a versatile young man who comin straight up out the H.
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C-Unit
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
Do you think they should have just let James Click do his job45s wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 18:55 pmHis contract expires sept 27
Crane has given no indication he will be retained
Same goes for Espada….
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45s
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
Of course…C-Unit wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 19:04 pmDo you think they should have just let James Click do his job45s wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 18:55 pmHis contract expires sept 27
Crane has given no indication he will be retained
Same goes for Espada….
But it’s worse than that….crane was taking advice from bagwell during the period between click and brown…..bagwell is responsible for the Abreu and Montero disasters…
Crane should have just suspended Luhnow for a year and then brought him back…
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45s
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
Great defensive player…..and he will fit right in with the cards bad offense…he’s somewhere around Mendoza
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C-Unit
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
That's the way I understand it45s wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 19:13 pmOf course…C-Unit wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 19:04 pmDo you think they should have just let James Click do his job45s wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 18:55 pmHis contract expires sept 27
Crane has given no indication he will be retained
Same goes for Espada….
But it’s worse than that….crane was taking advice from bagwell during the period between click and brown…..bagwell is responsible for the Abreu and Montero disasters…
Crane should have just suspended Luhnow for a year and then brought him back…
What's Luhnow's story. He moved on pretty quick to soccer didn't he. He said he always likes a new challenge when the time is right to move on.
I always loved the story about the prisoners in the penitentiary having Chris Correa set the outfield alignments for the prison softball team, once they found out who he was.
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45s
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
Luhnow and Crane sued each other ….bad blood developed and there was no chance he was coming back…C-Unit wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 19:28 pmThat's the way I understand it45s wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 19:13 pmOf course…C-Unit wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 19:04 pmDo you think they should have just let James Click do his job45s wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 18:55 pmHis contract expires sept 27
Crane has given no indication he will be retained
Same goes for Espada….
But it’s worse than that….crane was taking advice from bagwell during the period between click and brown…..bagwell is responsible for the Abreu and Montero disasters…
Crane should have just suspended Luhnow for a year and then brought him back…
What's Luhnow's story. He moved on pretty quick to soccer didn't he. He said he always likes a new challenge when the time is right to move on.
I always loved the story about the prisoners in the penitentiary having Chris Correa set the outfield alignments for the prison softball team, once they found out who he was.
He bought a soccer team in the Mexican League….Cancun
and now also owns a club in Madrid…
Crane is an ok owner…..wants to be competitive every year…..willing to spend up to the tax threshold..
but he has alienated some guys……Luhnow….and Ryan most prominently…
How much time did Correa do?
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2ninr
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Re: Astros Showing Interest In Lars Nootbaar
Explain to me the value of this post?Melville wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 18:42 pmHow good are the medical facilities in Houston? Hospitals? ER's? Flight for Life? Assisted living? Must be high level if the Astros see Mootbaar as a good fit....FrankTheTank wrote: ↑31 Jul 2026 16:33 pm https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
The Astros have interest in Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. That’s about as unsurprising a link as there’ll be this summer, as Houston has been searching for a reliable lefty-hitting outfielder for more than a year. GM Dana Brown walked back the handedness aspect a little over the weekend but reiterated that they’re looking for an offensive boost from their outfield. There’s a greater supply of lefty bats and many other teams prioritizing righty-swinging outfielders, so it’d make more sense for Houston to come away with a left-handed hitter.
Nootbaar is hitting .241/.347/.366 in 45 games since returning from last year’s surgery to address Haglund’s deformities on both heels. He hit very well upon initially being reinstated from the injured list in early June. Nootbaar has had a tough July, including a .195 batting average without a home run in 13 games since the All-Star Break, but his overall slash line is right around league average. He’s typically a solid but not elite hitter whose game is built mostly around a high walk rate and good on-base marks.
St. Louis is still in a retool and could move Nootbaar to take a late-season look at power-hitting outfield prospect Joshua Baez. Rome reports that the Cardinals have placed a high asking price that might deter the Astros, but it’s possible that’ll come down in the next few days. Houston doesn’t have a deep farm system but has a couple Top 100 adjacent prospects (Xavier Neyens and Kevin Alvarez) and could market controllable swingman AJ Blubaugh for help in another area.
Astros left fielders have been middle of the pack this season offensively, but that’s thanks mostly to Yordan Alvarez killing the ball in his handful of starts there. They’ve been playing Taylor Trammell, Zach Dezenzo and LaMonte Wade Jr. at the position when Alvarez has been at designated hitter. It’s a clear area for upgrade. Houston also could use a center fielder and should be involved on other outfield trade candidates like Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and Trevor Larnach as well.
Nootbaar is controllable through next season and playing on a $5.25MM arbitration salary. He’s due around $1.6MM for the rest of the year. As shown on MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, Houston is about $8MM shy of the $244MM luxury tax line. They’re likely to have limited financial flexibility but could certainly fit Nootbaar’s salary into the short-term budget.