Cardinals Projected Trade Swaps Nolan Arenado For $90 Million Slugger

Should the Cardinals consider a deal like this?

Aug 20, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) throws on the run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning and at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals' biggest question mark of the offseason is the future of Nolan Arenado.

Arenado has been discussed by the national media pretty much every day in some capacity. He's a Hall-of-Fame-level talent who is just 33 years old and is on the trade block. There should be plenty of suitors for him, but his contract and no-trade clause have had an impact on that.

At this point, it's unclear what will happen. The Athletic's Katie Woo recently reported that the Boston Red Sox may be his last chance to be traded before the 2025 season actually gets here. If the Cardinals want to trade him and get rid of his salary, they are going to have to be flexible.

Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer made a list of "realistic" trades that he wants to see get done before Spring Training. He unsurprisingly floated the Red Sox as a fit for Arenado in a package that would bring Masataka Yoshida to St. Louis.

"Trade Proposal: Boston Red Sox get (third baseman) Nolan Arenado; St. Louis Cardinals get DH Masataka Yoshida, (shortstop) Yoeilin Cespedes (Red Sox's No. 6 prospect," Rymer said. "By rejecting an offer for Arenado from the New York Yankees that was reportedly based on Marcus Stroman, the Cardinals signaled their unwillingness to swap bad contracts.

"Frankly, Arenado's trade value is so diminished that they may not have a choice. At least they'd save some money in this deal. Yoshida is owed $55.8 million, whereas the Cardinals owe Arenado $64 million. This would otherwise be a prospect purchase for the Cardinals, with the 19-year-old Cespedes bringing a strong bat to St. Louis' system."

Yoshida signed a five-year, $90 million deal with Boston and there have been rumblings that it wants to offload him. He has three years left on the deal and is owed $55.8 million. Arenado hasn't $74 million left on his deal over three years but some is being paid by the Colorado Rockies. This is a solid scenario from Rymer.

The Cardinals wouldn't get as much salary flexibility as it likely hopes, but there still would be some.

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