The St. Louis Cardinals simply aren’t in a position to win it all anytime in the next year or so. It’s the harsh reality of where this organization stands, currently in fourth place in the National League Central. The Cardinals have actually had a decent start to the campaign, but this is a better look for the future than it is in the short term.

It’s tough to say that the Cardinals should go out and trade some of their top players because they have a lot of talent and could possibly make some noise next season if their young guys continue to develop, but if they can get a decent return for guys like Lars Nootbaar, it wouldn’t be the wrong decision to move on from him.

Thomas Carelli of SI proposed a deal that would send Nootbaar to the Houston Astros in exchange for Jacob Melton and AJ Blubaugh. It’s not the worst trade, but I feel like the Cardinals could get more value out there.

“Nootbaar is injured, and while the Cardinals are looking to a 3-year plan, Nootbaar will not align with it. He had one more year of team control. “The Cardinals are playing fine without Nootbaar, with depth to fill his loss.

“By the time Nootbaar returns (6-8 weeks), the season could be half-lost anyway. The team might as well deal with Nootbaar if an offer comes in.”

Nootbaar is probably better to hold on to over the next few months. If the Cardinals do plan on sending him out, doing so at the trade deadline would be the better plan.