Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Sunday thatNootbaar (heels) isn't guaranteed to be available for the start of the 2026 season, Matt Pauley of 1120 AM KMOX St. Louis reports.

Nootbaar is on the mend from Oct. 7 surgery to address deformities on both of his heels. At the time the procedure was performed, the Cardinals didn't put a timeline on Nootbaar's return to full baseball activities, but Bloom's comments suggest that the outfielder could need around six months to get back to 100 percent health. Bloom noted that Nootbaar won't be hurried along in the rehab process, and even if the 28-year-old winds up on the injured list to begin the 2026 campaign, he would be shelved for only a limited amount of time. Nootbaar played in a career-high 135 games in 2025, slashing .234/.325/.361 with 13 home runs, four stolen bases, 48 RBI and 68 runs over 583 plate appearances.

Nootbaar underwent surgery Oct. 7 on both heels to shave down Haglund's deformities, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear how long Nootbaar's heels have bothered him, and it's also uncertain how long his rehab is expected to take. Nootbaar finished with career highs in games played (135) and plate appearances (583) this season but posted a disappointing .234/.325/.361 batting line with 13 home runs.

Donovan underwent surgery Oct. 7 to repair a sports hernia, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Donovan had dealt with a nagging groin issue for much of the second half before eventually being shut down. Last week's operation should not affect his availability for the beginning of spring training, barring any setbacks. Donovan made his first All-Star team in 2025, finishing with a .287/.353/.422 batting line, 10 home runs and 32 doubles over 118 contests.

Herrera underwent surgery Wednesday to have bone spurs removed from his right elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

It had been reported in September that Herrera would have offseason elbow surgery after his arm had bothered him for a couple years. The procedure is considered minor and is not expected to affect his offseason workouts or readiness for spring training. Herrera slashed .284/.373/.464with 19 home runs over 107 games for theCardinals this season. He was a full-time designated hitter during the second half, but Herrera will prepare exclusively as a catcher this offseason.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said in late September that he anticipatesGraceffo remaining in a relief role next season, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Graceffo began 2025 in the rotation at Triple-A Memphis, but he was shifted to the bullpen in early May and that's where he remained for the remainder of the season, both during his time in the majors and minors. He finished with a 6.28 ERA, but a 2.93 FIP and 3.71 SIERA suggests Graceffo was unlucky from an ERA perspective. The 25-year-old plans to alter his offseason workouts as he moves to a full-time relief role, and the hope is that it will help his stuff play up.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that releasingArenado is "not an option," Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The Cardinals will do their best to trade Arenado this offseason, and Arenado has said he's willing to expand the list of teams to which he would approve a deal. However, if the club is unable to find a trade partner, it will hang on to Arenado as its starting third baseman. Arenado -- who turns 35 in April -- slashed just .237/.289/.377 with 12 home runs over 436 plate appearances in 2025 and is owed roughly $40 million over the next two seasons.

Scott went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base in Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Cubs.

Scott finished the season 10th in the majors in steals after picking up his 34th pilfer of the year Sunday. This was also his first multi-hit effort since July 11 -- the outfielder hit a pathetic .171 after the All-Star break, dropping his season average to .216 across 138 games. Scott added a .601 OPS, five home runs, 37 RBI, 54 runs scored, 15 doubles and one triple in 463 plate appearances in his first full major-league season.

Leahy allowed a hit and struck out one without walking a batter over three scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Cubs on Sunday.

Leahy started the bullpen game and had the most innings pitched of the five pitchers theCardinals used in their season finale. This was a fine first career start, and the right-hander ended the season on a seven-inning scoreless streak. Overall, he pitched to a 3.07 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 80:28 K:BB across 88 innings across 62 appearances, adding a 4-2 record, one save, 18 holds and four blown saves as a multi-inning reliever. He could be a contender for the rotation in 2026, but Leahy hasn't regularly worked as a starter since 2022.

Burleson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Burleson's streak of 17 consecutive starts comes to an end in Game 162, as he gets the day off in a meaningless contest for theCardinals. Yohel Pozo will handle first base.

Arenado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Arenado will take a seat for Game 162, giving way to Nolan Gorman at third base. Assuming Arenado doesn't enter off the bench, he'll finish the 2025 season with a .237/.289/.377 slash line, 12 home runs, 52 RBI and 48 runs scored across 436 plate appearances.

Contreras (shoulder) informed incomingCardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom during a conversation Friday that he wishes to remain with the team rather than waive his no-trade clause in order to facilitate a deal, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Contreras did hedge a bit, saying he expects the Cardinals to explore the trade market for him this offseason and he would listen if they came to him with a potential deal. However, his preference is to stay put, saying he "would like to be a part of the young team that is going to need to have some of experience around them." Contreras has two years and $36.5 million remaining on his contract, along with a $17.5 million club option (or $5 million buyout) for 2028. The 33-year-old is already done for the 2025 season, having been placed on the 10-day injured list earlier this month with a right shoulder strain.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Cubs.

Arenado singled in his first plate appearance and then skied one to left-center field off Jameson Taillon in the fourth inning that found the first row of the bleachers at Wrigley Field. It was the veteran third baseman's second home run in 11 games since coming off the injured list, and he's driven in nine runs over that stretch.

Walker went 1-for-2 with two walks, a two-run home run and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Cubs.

The long ball, his first since Aug. 28, was the sixth of the season for Walker, while the steal was his 10th in 110 big-league games. The 23-year-old outfielder is still struggling to establish himself in the majors, but he's batting .280 (7-for-25) over the last eight contests with more walks (five) than strikeouts (four) as he looks to wrap up 2025 on a positive note.