Cardinals Could Make Surprise Nolan Arenado Decision, Per Insider

There are a lot of questions swirling around the Cardinals right now

Sep 18, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a one run single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Most of the speculation swirling around the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason has been about the future of star third baseman Nolan Arenado.

He has three years left on his deal and is owed $74 million. The Cardinals want to lower payroll and he has been one of the most talked about options on the trade market. While this is the case, his future really is up in the air at this point. He shut down a deal that would've sent him to the Houston Astros and now it's not clear what the team will do.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden even suggested that the Cardinals may need to keep him to at least begin the 2025 season.

"Addition by subtraction has to be the goal to open up third base for Nolan Gorman or Jordan Walker — whichever one the Cardinals view as the best long-term play there," Bowden said. "Financially, whatever they can get the other team to absorb would be huge, so really any type of prospect return would make sense.

"The Athletic’s Katie Woo and Chandler Rome reported that Arenado, who has a no-trade clause, nixed a possible deal with the Astros that, if approved, would have seen St. Louis pay roughly $5 million for each of the three years remaining on his contract with Houston footing the rest of the bill (approximately $45 million). The Cardinals might have to keep Arenado for the first half of the season and hope he plays better, then try to get more for him in a trade in July."

Arenado has a no-trade clause so he only will be dealt if he wants to be. If a team to his liking doesn't come to the table with a deal, maybe a deal won't happen after all.

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