Cardinals' Nolan Arenado May Have Hinted Where He Wants To Be Traded This Winter

The St. Louis fan favorite might already have one foot out the door
Sep 28, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA;  St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) talks with the media after the Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers winning their 17th straight game and clinching a wild card spot in the postseason at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) talks with the media after the Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers winning their 17th straight game and clinching a wild card spot in the postseason at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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The St. Louis Cardinals entered this offseason with the payroll in mind as the struggling franchise embarks on an organizational reset.

Several fan favorites, such as Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado, were placed on the trade block. Their expensive salaries limited the Cardinals' option to reallocate resources into rebuilding the club's broken player development system.

Although Gray will remain in St. Louis through 2025, it isn't very certain 10-time Gold Glove defender Arenado will as well. Based on his latest Instagram post, perhaps a deal with the reigning World Series champions could be in the works.

Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado posted a series of photos to Instagram on Sunday, highlighting pleasant trips and adventures he's taken this offseason. The post was captioned with a song titled "dodger blue" from Los Angeles-native Kendrick Lamar's newest album "GNX", which was released on Nov. 22, 2024.

Arenado is a California native who left the Colorado Rockies in 2021 to join the Cadinals under the impression that he'd have a solid chance at winning a World Series.

Unfortunately, the 33-year-old's window to win a championship in St. Louis has closed. With three more seasons remaining on Arenado's contract, the Cardinals must find a trade partner willing to eat a significant portion of the $74 million remaining on the five-time Silver Slugger's contract.

The Dodgers have a robust farm system to give St. Louis something in return for Arenado, so perhaps a deal can be made between the historic franchises.

The six-time Platinum Glove defender deserves a fighting chance at winning a World Series before his illustrious career ends. What better way for Arenado to end his Hall of Fame-caliber career than by winning a championship with his hometown childhood team?

More MLB: Ex-Cardinals Four-Time Gold Glover Announces Retirement Ending 14-Year Career


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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu