[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Noot would be a perfect fit for what the Royals need.

When he's healthy he fits what pretty much any team needs -- that's why the Cardinals can't **** around here and mess up his value.

Bottom line is that I don't think he's part of the next contending Cardinals team, at least not in his prime. And he's 28 this fall. He's under team control for his age 28 and 29 seasons and then he's a tricky extension candidate (I mean he's essentially Brandon Nimmo when he's is healthy and Nimmo got $20 million/season through age 37 which is just insane).

So you probably want to consider trading him. And if you can do so this summer, you're offering 2+ seasons of team control for a guy who's a damn nice fit literally anywhere in MLB.

You HAVE to get a top 20ish prospect for that.

You can't **** off and dick around with him like Tommy Edman, a guy who put up a SIX WAR SEASON before they ****ed around and tried to force him into CF rather than just get a damn CFer.

So of course he gets hurt, of course his value tanks and then of course they trade him for 18 months of an aging #4 starter.

Meanwhile in the 2022 offseason they could've gotten a haul for him. They could've moved him for a scuffling high value young veteran like Duran, for instance. Nah - lets do nothing.

Because that's just what they do. Always.

Hopefully new leadership will change that. They have to rebuild their entire foundation and the way you do that isn't to hang on to guys like Nootbaar like grim death - it's to continue to pump guys like that up and move them for dudes in their early 20s with the potential to be that guy in 3-4 years when you're looking at truly being serious again.