A's Potential Trade with St. Louis Cardinals Now Seems Unlikely

Jason Burke | 7 Hours Ago

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It was always a bit of a pipe dream, but on Tuesday night, it became more of a reality. St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado released his list of six teams that he'd accept a trade to, given his no-trade clause, and unsurprisingly, the Athletics weren't on that list.

John Denton of MLB.com reports that the teams Arenado would prefer to land are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Angels, as well as the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox. Notably absent from that list are the New York Yankees.

Arenado, 33, will be entering his age 34 campaign with three years and $74 million owed to him. $32 million of that will be due in 2025, followed by $27 million in 2025, and $15 million in 2026. $10 million of that total will be paid by the Colorado Rockies in $5 million increments in 2025 and 2026.

He's also coming off a year in which he hit .272 with a .325 OBP and held a 101 OPS+, making him just above league average. It was the first season that Arenado wasn't named an All Star since 2014, his second year in the league. Technically he wasn't an All Star in 2020 either, but there was no All Star game due to the global pandemic.

Defensively, Arenado is still one of the best gloves in the game, ranking in the 95th percentile in Outs Above Average with +10, though he hasn't won a Gold Glove award since 2022. Ke'Bryan Hayes and Matt Chapman have taken home that honor the past two seasons.

The fit for the A's is pretty simple: They need an upgrade at third base and have to add payroll for the 2025 campaign. Arenado fits both of those needs. Even if his production at the plate continues to decline, his defense would certainly be useful for the Sacramento-bound Athletics, who have been targeting ground ball pitchers this winter. Shoring up the team's overall defense has also been a priority, and with more ground balls on the way in 2025, it may be an even larger need.

Unfortunately, Nolan Arenado doesn't want to play in a minor-league park, so any potential deal doesn't have much of a chance unless he has a change of heart and waives that no-trade clause.