Promising Report Implies Cardinals Star Nolan Arenado Could Be Due For Monstrous Year

The St. Louis fan favorite is ready to prove himself again in 2025

Jul 20, 2024; Cumberland, GA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after hitting a home run against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals did everything they could this winter to find a suitable trade partner for 10-time Gold Glove defender Nolan Arenado but must face the reality that he isn't leaving anytime soon.

This is not to say that the Cardinals are desperate to part ways with Arenado but the three years and $64 million remaining on his contract have placed the franchise's rebuilding efforts in a bit of a chokehold.

However, Arenado's upcoming season could change the course of his future in St. Louis. Recent statistics indicate the Cardinals' fan favorite is ready to put on an offensive show in 2025.

"Nolan Arenado gets back on the Hall of Fame track with a 30-homer season," The Athletic's Eno Sarris wrote Tuesday when outlining 10 bold predictions for the 2025 season. "It wasn’t a great offseason for Nolan Arenado. All that talk about where he’d be playing this coming season was probably exhausting enough, just to see the trade talks fall apart while he was trying to get ready for spring training. But throughout it all, Arenado has seemingly been plugging away at getting back to being himself. And one way he’s shown some promise is how hard he’s been swinging. Here are the top 10 players who have at least 150 tracked pitches this spring and have added the most bat speed.

Among Sarris's list, Arenado ranked fifth among qualified players who have shown the greatest bat speed increases throughout this year's spring training.

"After 2020, there was some question if Arenado was in decline, and the (Colorado) Rockies decided to pay down the contract and ship him out of town," Sarris continued. "In St. Louis, he pulled more fly balls than ever and had a three-year resurgence going as 2024 started. But the bat speed slowed last year, and despite a furious effort to get it back on track, he only spent a week or two with above-average bat speed. His current spring bat speed would be in the top 40 if he kept it up all year. And yeah, that’s why this one’s bold, we’re forecasting more power based on five spring swings."

Although Arenado's increased bat speed statistics from this spring are derived from a small sample size, it's worth noting that the five-time Silver Slugger slimmed down this offseason and worked diligently to return to his old self at the plate this year.

Arenado is one of the most gifted third basemen of all time. Although 2024 was his career-worst offensive campaign, it would be foolish to count him out for this upcoming season. The likely future Hall of Fame candidate needs to solidify his claim for Cooperstown and the best way to do it is by having an unforgettable resurgence after last year's dark chapter.

More MLB: Cardinals Stuck Between 'Gray Area' Of Contention & Rebuilding After Weak Offseason