While full-on panic made may not be appropriate at the moment, the current Yankees lineup has plenty of room improvement. This year’s Trade Deadline presents some options where they’re most in need — in this case, outfielders. Aaron Judge’s situation is growing increasingly concerning, having not returned to any baseball activities at this point, while Cody Bellinger’s hamstring strain may very well have him out until September. Two of the three best hitters the Bombers have are laid up for extended
periods (to say nothing of DH Giancarlo Stanton), and some reinforcements may be needed.
While there are plenty of options out there for outfield help, one that could make sense for the Yankees before the August 3rd deadline is Lars Nootbaar. The 28-year-old Cardinal has been a consistent contributor on both sides of the ball for a handful of years in St. Louis. With the Redbirds struggling to stay afloat in the competitive NL Central, they may look to move some of their veteran players. With Nootbaar under control for just one more season, he could be a prime candidate for just that.
2026 Statistics (Thus Far): 45 G, 170 PA, .241/.347/.366, 7 2B, 3 HR, 14.1 BB%, 22.4 K%, 102 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR
2026 ZiPS Rest-of-Season Statistics: 37 G, 145 PA, .243/.340/.397, 6 2B, 4 HR, 62 K, 12.6 BB%, 21 K%, 107 wRC+ 0.6 fWAR
Nootbaar debuted with the Cardinals back in 2021, playing in 58 mostly solid ballgames, but began to fully break out in the following year. The 2022 season began a three-year stretch of really solid play from the left-handed swinger, even as St. Louis declined from its long-consistent presence in the playoff mix to the second division. Nootbaar played in between 108 and 117 games in each year from 2022-24, and posted a more-than-solid 118 wRC+ across those 1,255 plate appearances. The outfielder swatted at least a dozen homers in each of those seasons, and consistently posted walk rates well over 10 percent, which gave him a solid floor of offensive production.
Having established himself as a dependable contributor—not to mention a more familiar name to fans after being the only American-born player on the 2023 WBC-winning Japan team—Nootbaar played in a career-high 135 games in 2025 with the Cards, but took a slight step back with the bat. He still hit 13 homers and walked 11 percent of the time, but his overall production and ability to get on base certainly took a hit. The 96 wRC+ was the lowest mark of his five years in the Major Leagues.
The veteran has bounced back for the ‘26 season, however, despite only playing in 44 games, having made his season debut in June due to recovery from last year’s heel surgery. Nootbaar is posting a 13.9 percent walk rate, which would be his highest since 2023, and his 106 wRC+ is a welcomed sight. Perhaps most importantly, however, Nootbaar is continuing to hit the ball the way he always has: quite hard.
Outside of a small dip in 2023, Nootbaar has constantly been in the upper ranks in terms of hard-hit rate, average exit velocity, and xwOBA. He creates quality contact at rates that stack up well against much of the Major League landscape, and when combining that with his keen eye at the plate, he becomes a fairly dependable presence in the batter’s box. Whether he fully cashes in on that hard contact is a different story, but it helps to give him a solid base, and opens the door to perhaps a different gear if he can get the ball to fly a bit more.
As far as a fit with the Yankees, there is a fairly clear one. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, stalwarts in the outfield and middle-of-the-order bats, will be out of the picture for a bit, so the roster could use some reinforcements in that area. Nootbaar is a solid producer with the bat, perhaps with even more to gain, and can hold his own quite well with the glove. He’s not a righty bat, which seems to be the general preference, but the Yankees are desperate for offensive help of any kind right now. The need is clearly there, and his all-around skills may be enticing to the Yankees.
The 28-year-old does still have a year of team control, and while that may increase the asking price, it likely does the same to the level of interest — particularly with Trent Grisham potentially about the hit free agency again. Nootbaar is a good, reliable player, and reliable may be just what the Yankees need while some of their stars recover from injury. While Judge and Bellinger would be impossible to replace directly, players of Nootbaar’s style can easily help to keep the ship afloat.
