The St. Louis Cardinals have outlined their strategy this offseason to release some of their seasoned players, including Nolan Arenado, as they aim to rejuvenate their lineup after a lackluster series of recent seasons. Yet, even with several franchises searching for a third baseman, Arenado is still part of the Cardinals organization with less than a month remaining until the commencement of Spring Training.
One challenging element that continues to hinder any conceivable trade involving Arenado is the reality that the experienced third baseman possesses a comprehensive no-trade clause, which grants him influence over the team he will be joining for the 2025 season. In this context, Jon Morosi of MLB Network mentioned that the Cardinals might have to brace for the possibility of entering Spring Training with Arenado remaining on the roster.
“The likelihood continues to rise that by the time the Cardinals arrive for Spring Training in Jupiter, Florida, Arenado will still be a part of the St. Louis Cardinals,” Morosi remarked.
Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado might be an overlooked asset for teams seeking a third baseman
Nolan Arenado’s exceptional performance throughout much of his career has granted him the privilege to decide his next landing spot, and he has narrowed down his rumored trade preferences to the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Angels. Out of these teams, the Cardinals third baseman stands to enhance the third-base situations for the Mets, Red Sox, and Angels — with the first two being teams with championship aspirations in 2025.
However, Morosi noted that it isn’t straightforward to identify a team that still possesses the budgetary space to absorb the $74 million remaining on Arenado’s deal for the upcoming three seasons. Additionally, Alex Bregman, the premier third baseman available, still remains a free agent and presents a more substantial impact than Arenado, further complicating the situation for the Cardinals.
“We ponder, how many teams in baseball on the 29th of January have that level of payroll capacity and flexibility to incorporate a player who is admittedly coming off a subpar offensive season?” Morosi added.
Regardless, Arenado was still undeniably a strong player last season, and he continues to be among the best defenders at the hot corner, which means it should only be a matter of time until the Cardinals discover a fitting trade.
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