Dodgers Linked To Cardinals Star Nolan Arenado In Possible Offseason Blockbuster Trade

The Dodgers could be interested in landing one of the Cardinals' biggest stars

It sounds like teams still have an interest in landing one of the St. Louis Cardinals' biggest stars.

St. Louis mightily struggled this season leading the team to be one of the biggest sellers ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline. While the Cardinals did give up a lot, they could have given up more and there was plenty of interest around the league for third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

The Cardinals ended up hanging on to both of the stars and have made no indication that either will be moved this offseason but the Los Angeles Dodgers could end up having interest in Arenado, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

"The Dodgers will pull off a major trade by parting with some of their more promising prospects, Gonzalez said. "It's their preferred route, rather than overspending in free agency. They held off on it this last offseason, but capitalizing on some of their prospect capital makes a lot of sense right now. The Dodgers have what feels close to a surplus of young starters ready to break into the big leagues at the moment and could use some of that for either a more established starting pitcher or some help on offense or both.

"They also have two premier catching prospects in Diego Cartaya and Dalton Rushing, both of whom are blocked by Will Smith. Vargas and Michael Bush, without set positions on a major league infield, would also intrigue other teams. Perhaps they rekindle trade talks with the St. Louis Cardinals for Nolan Arenado."

There were rumors around the trade deadline about the Dodgers' interest in Arenado but a deal didn't come to fruition. At this point, a deal shouldn't be considered likely at all. The Cardinals have made it sound like both Arenado and Goldschmidt will be sticking around for the long haul. Plus, both of the stars have said they want to remain in St. Louis. They both have no-trade clauses in their contracts as well which would make a deal difficult. 

While there are sure to be plenty of rumors, it would be very surprising if Arenado is not the Cardinals' starting third baseman on Opening Day in 2024. 

More MLB: Four Cardinals Young Studs Drawing Interest In Possible Trade To Bolster Starting Rotation