Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado 'Wouldn't Be Shocked' If He’s Traded At Deadline

St. Louis could make a major splash at the deadline but it would be foolish

Scott Neville | Jul 11, 2023

Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado 'Wouldn't Be Shocked' If He’s Traded At Deadline /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are in no position to do anything but sell prior to the upcoming Aug. 1 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

Apparently, players inside the clubhouse are bracing for the worst, including the best player on the roster, Nolan Arenado.

"Cardinals superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado said he wouldn’t be shocked if he’s traded," The New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Tuesday.

“I’ve been traded once,” Arenado told Heyman. “I think that shocked a lot of people at that time. I guess it doesn’t surprise me anymore what happens in this game. It would still be surprising seeing some things happen. But I understand there are certain things that probably should.”

Yes, the Cardinals should sell, and some players should expect to be moved but there's a huge difference between selling and blowing it up. St. Louis is in a position to trade impending free agents and then re-tool for next season.

Arenado is the starting third baseman for the National League in the All-Star Game and still has four more seasons left on his massive deal with the Cardinals.

The 32-year-old future Hall of Famer isn't going anywhere, neither is first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

Starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty, relievers Chris Stratton and Jordan Hicks and shortstop Pual DeJong? Those guys have reason to "brace" for a trade.

St. Louis might want to keep Montgomery around to sign a long-term deal this winter but they better be damn sure he comes back. Otherwise, they'd be punting on selling off one of the most valuable trade assets of the deadline for nothing but a compensatory pick next July.

Those players are worth discussing but Arenado is safe.

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Published Jul 11, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu