Cardinals Eight-Time All-Star Predicted To Cut Ties With St. Louis Soon

St. Louis could look very different in the near future
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
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Stop us if you've heard this one before: plenty of moves are on the way for the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis likely isn't going to slow down until the payroll is lowered even further than it already has and the farm system is in a better place. The Cardinals are in a weird spot. John Mozeliak is still the Cardinals' president of baseball operations but it already has been announced that Chaim Bloom will be replacing him at the end of the 2025 season.

It seems like 2025 will be a transition year for the Cardinals, and that's going to lead to changes as they try to rebuild the roster and the farm system. Because of this, FanSided's Thomas Gauvain predicted that star third baseman Nolan Arenado won't be with the team beyond the Winter Meetings in early December.

"Nolan Arenado feels like the most probable trade candidate on the roster among players with a no-trade clause," Gauvain said. "With both Contreras and Gray virtually off the board, he and Miles Mikolas are the only two remaining. Arenado feels more likely given Mikolas's recent performances. Following his third-place finish in National League MVP voting in 2022, Arenado has slashed .269/.320/.426 with 42 home runs for a 104 OPS+.

"His defense came back to form in 2024 following a lackluster showing in 2023, and he's amassed 4.9 bWAR these last two years. Arenado has three years and $74 million left on his contract, though the Colorado Rockies are chipping in $10 million, and there are some deferments attached. Teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Houston Astros could be interested in his services at the hot corner."

Could there be a trade coming in the very near future with St. Louis?

More MLB: Cardinals $44M Starter Predicted To End Three-Year Stint With St. Louis


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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu