Atlanta Braves Eyeing $113 Million Outfielder?

“Nootbaar is off to a red-hot start this season,” Mountz wrote. “He’s slashing .421 with two homers in his first 19 at-bats and owns a .560 on-base percentage — good for fifth-best in all of baseball.”

While it’s still early in the 2025 campaign, signs are pointing to a breakout year for the 26-year-old outfielder. The timing couldn’t be better for Nootbaar — or worse for the Cardinals front office.

St. Louis made headlines this offseason by attempting to pivot into a soft rebuild. Yet despite efforts by GM John Mozeliak to shed salary, the Cardinals stood pat. Internal friction followed, with both Nootbaar and teammate Brendan Donovan going through arbitration hearings. Nootbaar won his case and will earn $2.95 million this season, while Donovan came up short.

The tension has fueled speculation that the Cardinals might be open to dealing Nootbaar — especially if it means recouping long-term assets

Nootbaar remains under team control through 2027 and is projected by Spotrac to command a $113 million deal once he hits free agency. The Cardinals may explore an extension to lock him in for the long haul — a move that would align with their hopes of remaining competitive while retooling on the fly.

The Braves are in win-now mode. The Cardinals, though retooling, are not far removed from contention themselves. Unless the Braves are prepared to empty the farm system, a Nootbaar-to-Atlanta deal may be more fantasy than reality — at least for now.