5:38pm: St. Louis will receive right-hander Daniel Eagen, left-hander Sandro Santana, and a player to be named later in the deal, reports John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports.
4:51pm: The D-backs are acquiring Lars Nootbaar in a trade with the Cardinals, per Jorge Castillo and Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. Arizona adds the lefty bat it’s been searching for right before the deadline. Nootbaar can slot into the left field spot vacated by the injured Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
The 28-year-old Nootbaar didn’t make his season debut until early June due to offseason heel surgery. He’s slashed .234/.333/.354 in 48 games since returning to the big-league club. St.Louis has moved Nootbaar around the outfield, giving him time at all three spots. The majority of his appearances this year have come in left field.
While his overall offensive output has been slightly subpar, Nootbaar continues to take walks at a high clip. He has a 13.1% walk rate this year, right in line with his career mark. He’ll fit right in as part of a Diamondbacks lineup that ranks top five in strikeout-to-walk rate.
Nootbaar has one year of team control remaining beyond this season. He’s playing on a $5.25MM contract. If no cash is exchanged in the deal, Arizona will owe him roughly $1.5MM the rest of the year.
The Diamondbacks haven’t been able to find consistent production in left field. The club has cycled through eight different players who have combined for a .667 OPS, the fourth-worst mark in the league. Gurriel has taken the majority of the playing time, but he’s only been available for 48 games. The veteran has struggled to a 48 wRC+. Max Kepler, who joined the club after an 80-game PED suspension, hasn’t been much better.
It appears the Nootbaar acquisition is the Diamondbacks’ only move of the trade deadline. It’s a somewhat disappointing outcome for a club in the thick of the playoff race. Arizona has earned back-to-back series wins and currently holds one of the NL Wild Card spots. The division rival Padres are one game back and made a couple of big moves on deadline day, landing left-hander Robbie Ray and right-hander Casey Mize.
Eagen is the biggest name in the return. MLB Pipeline ranked him fifth in the Diamondbacks’ system. He was taken in the third round of the 2024 draft out of Presbyterian College. The righty is an older prospect, but moved through the system quickly. The 23-year-old made it to Double-A in his first pro season. Eagen struggled at the level last year and hasn’t pitched well again in a repeat with Amarillo. He’s tossed 87 1/3 innings with a 4.95 ERA. Eagen has a strong 29.2% strikeout rate in 20 starts.
Santana was Eagen’s teammate with the Sod Poodles this season. The reliever has put together a strong 2.14 ERA over 31 appearances in his first taste of Double-A. The 21-year-old has a strong 37% strikeout rate, though it’s come with a double-digit walk rate. Free passes have consistently been an issue during Santana’s pro career. He did not make the top 30 prospects on MLB Pipeline. FanGraphs slotted him at No. 33 over the winter.
