Inside The Cardinals

Insider Throws Cold Water On Cardinals $260 Million Blockbuster Deal

Will the Cardinals pull off a franchise-altering trade?

Patrick McAvoy

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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Will the St. Louis Cardinals trade away one of their biggest superstars?

Nolan Arenado has been the Cardinals' starting third baseman since 2021 and unsurprisingly has been a star. He has three All-Star nods over the last four seasons and also two Gold Glove Awards and one Silver Slugger Award.

He is one of the best third basemen in baseball even at 33 years old. There have been a lot of rumors about the possibility of him being traded this winter but The Athletic's Jim Bowden threw some cold water on the idea, although he didn't rule it out.

"Arenado is owed $32 million in 2025, $27 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027," Bowden said. (The Colorado Rockies are on the hook for $5 million in both ’26 and ’27.) Age and decline have caught up with him. Over the past three seasons, his slugging percentage has dropped from .533 to .459 to .394 and his home run output has fallen from 30 to 26 to 16. He’s still a 2.5-WAR player and an elite defender at third base. He’s a future Hall of Famer.

"However, he’s entering his age-34 season and this isn’t 2022, when Arenado posted a league-leading 7.7 WAR. If the Cardinals are willing to eat a significant part of the contract, there’s a possibility they could move him, but it’s not a slam dunk. Arenado would be a difficult player to trade because of his remaining contract, his no-trade clause, and there are not a lot of teams that need a third baseman."

This doesn't mean he won't get traded and there surely will be a lot of chatter but maybe it isn't a guarantee that he won't be the team's starting third baseman on Opening Day to kick off the 2025 campaign.

More MLB: Cardinals Should Look Into Signing 34-Year-Old Two-Time All-Star

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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

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