As the 2026 MLB Winter Meetings approach, it is leading to increased discussions around what people are hearing regarding the top MLB free agents. One of the top free agents that is seeing increased discussion is Kyle Tucker, as it is heavily being discussed that the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers are heavily pursuing him.
For the Toronto Blue Jays, they have made it a clear focus this offseason to allocate their money to advance their pitching. They still need more outfield reinforcements, but if the price becomes too high for Tucker, they will need to pivot to another option.
The outfield solution that the Blue Jays could turn to instead, could be done in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Lars Nootbaar.
St. Louis Cardinals Trade Lars Nootbaar to the Toronto Blue Jays
As the St. Louis Cardinals look to turn the team around, it is clear it is going to be done through trades. With already having traded Sonny Gray, names like Wilson Contreras, Brendan Donovan, and Lars Nootbaar are gaining attention to be next. For the Cardinals, Nootbaar’s market could increase for teams that miss out on signing Kyle Tucker.
While there was early skepticism surrounding the market Lars Nootbaar would have considering he had double heel surgery earlier in the offseason, it has been reported that it has not deterred teams away from him. With this, Nootbaar becomes the ideal trade target for the Blue Jays.
With Toronto having come off a season in which they made the World Series, and even pushed the Dodgers to Game 7 just to fall shy of winning it all, it should be a driving factor for the Blue Jays to improve the roster no matter what.
Even with Lars Nootbaar dealing with the heel issue in 2025, causing a bit of a down season, he still ended up having a .234/.325/.361 slash line with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs. With having played five seasons at the MLB level, and having a career slash line of .242/.341/.406 with 58 home runs and 194 RBIs, he has showcased his potential, and Toronto can hope that after having surgery, he can get back on track with his production.
Between his offensive upside, and defensive versatility to provide value at all three spots, Lars Nootbaar is a high-upside player the Blue Jays need to look to trade for this offseason.
