Cardinals will go to arbitration with Nootbaar, Donovan and Pallante

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - The Cardinals will go to arbitration hearings with Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan and Andre Pallante after the club was unable to reach agreements with those players on their salaries for the 2025 season prior to Thursday’s deadline.

The trio became eligible for the arbitration process for the first time this winter. MLB Trade Rumors projects Nootbaar’s salary at $2.5 million and Pallante’s at $2.3 million for the upcoming season. MLBTR’s projection for Donovan is $3.6 million.

Though it is allowable within the rules of the arbitration process for the team and the player to continue negotiating toward a deal up until the hearings are due to take place in a number of weeks, the Cardinals have, in recent years, adopted a ‘file-and-trial’ approach to these proceedings.

Short of an agreement on a multi-year contract extension with these players, the expectation would be for the Cardinals to ultimately go to hearings, which will be scheduled over the coming weeks.

Through this process, the team submits its number for the player’s salary for the upcoming season and the representatives for the player do the same, submitting their number. The arbitration panel will hear arguments from both sides and decide which of the two numbers will represent the player’s salary in 2025. There is no middle ground⁠—once the sides reach the hearing, the player’s salary will end up being one of the two numbers.

The Cardinals avoided the headache of the arbitration hearing with three other arb-eligible players, including Ryan Helsley, who agreed to a one-year deal for 2025 through which he will earn $8.2 million, according to multiple reports.

The Cardinals went to hearing with Helsley in 2023, winning their argument in front of the arbitration panel, and leaving the hard-throwing right-hander to power through the aftermath of an uncomfortable process that pits players against their own teams.

St. Louis came to agreements Thursday with left-handed relivers JoJo Romero and John King, avoiding arbitration.

Additionally, the Cardinals announced Thursday they have claimed LHP Bailey Horn off waivers from Detroit. The 27-year-old pitcher appeared in 18 games for Boston this past season.

Copyright 2025 KMOV. All rights reserved.