MLB Rumors: Lars Nootbaar helps recruit potential ace to the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar is an avid golfer. He is also friends with some of the best Japanese players in free agency. Those two facts happened to intersect on Thursday, when Nootbaar made it public that he had golfed with Yoshinobu Yamamoto of late.

Yamamoto is one of the best free-agent pitchers available. He should be posted in the coming days, and will undergo a physical as part of that process. Yamamoto would be an excellent addition for any MLB team, especially one which needs pitching. Now, if only I could think of one...

The St. Louis Cardinals will sign at least two starting pitchers this offseason, per John Mozeliak.

“We certainly feel like we need at least two starters. I think we have some [bullpen] talent that we can arrange, but we're not going to close ourselves off to the reliever market. But we are going to take a more patient approach to that to allow other things to happen," Mozeliak said.

MLB Rumors: Will the St. Louis Cardinals sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto?

The Cardinals need pitching, and while Yamamoto has been mentioned as a possibility for many interested suitors, his connection to Nootbaar and St. Louis could be meaningful in the end. Yamamoto reportedly is interested in the Yankees and Mets. However, a conflicting rumors suggests he wants to play on the west coast. I, personally, have no idea.

Yamamoto has won the NPB's version of the Cy Young Award on multiple occasions. His familiarity with Nootbaar comes from their time on Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, which they won in 2023 behind a stellar performance from Shohei Ohtani. Nootbaar claimed his relationship means a lot to him in a recent interview.

“I want to help Yoshi in any way that I can,” Nootbaar said. “I don’t know about the legality of it, and I don’t want to step on any toes, but if Yamamoto or any of the guys have questions, I want to be there to help."

If Yamamoto has questions about the Cards, expect them to pass with flying colors.