The Arizona Diamondbacks completed a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire outfielder Lars Nootbaar moments before the trade deadline on Monday. In exchange, the Cardinals received right-hander Daniel Eagen and left-hander Sandro Santana, both minor-league pitching prospects, along with a player to be named later.
Nootbaar, 28, missed the start of the season after undergoing offseason surgery to address a congenital heel condition and did not debut until early June. Since his activation, he has posted a 96 OPS+ rating while demonstrating improved contact quality and playing time across all three outfield positions. Over his career, the left-handed batter has compiled a .764 OPS against right-handed pitchers with 212 walks across 1,601 plate appearances in those situations. He is owed the remainder of a $5.35 million salary for the year and remains under team control through the 2027 season. He will reunite with former Cardinals teammate Nolan Arenado, who was traded to Arizona during the offseason.
For the Cardinals, Eagen represents the most significant addition. The 23-year-old third-round draft pick from Presbyterian College has made 20 starts for the Amarillo affiliate in the Texas League this season, posting a 4.95 ERA while striking out 109 batters in 87⅓ innings. He features a four-pitch arsenal anchored by a mid-90s fastball with quality carry in the upper portion of the strike zone. Santana, 21, has compiled a 3.46 ERA and a 2.30 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 71 relief appearances and four starts across parts of four minor-league seasons. In the current season, he has advanced to the Double-A level, where he owns a 0.57 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 15⅔ innings since his promotion.
The trade addresses a specific need for Arizona, which has struggled against right-handed pitching this season with an OPS of .677, significantly trailing its .784 OPS mark against left-handed pitchers. Nootbaar’s patient, on-base-first approach at the plate may provide additional benefits beyond his offensive production. For St. Louis, the acquisition of pitching prospects continues the organizational strategy of building depth in the minor-league system under current leadership, with both prospects offering potential to develop into significant contributors.
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