Cardinals $260 Million All-Star Unlikely For Royals Amid Trade Rumors
The St. Louis Cardinals have been shopping Nolan Arenado this offseason in an attempt to lower payroll. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals could use some help on the offensive side.
Aside from acquiring Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer from the Cincinnati Reds for right-hander Brady Singer back in November, Kansas City hasn't done a whole lot to improve their lineup. Arenado could be a good fit for them if he is willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to Kansas City.
However, Cardinals insider Jeff Jones notes that this is unlikely, and that St. Louis got the sense Arenado would not accept a deal to the Royals.
"Have heard that a few teams checked in on Arenado around the winter meetings that weren’t pursued because the Cardinals were under the strong belief that he wouldn’t accept the destination. Believe Kansas City is one of those teams. Would be interesting if that changed," Jones tweeted.
The Royals could use some help at third base, and Arenado provides elite defense. His might also play better at Kauffman Stadium than it does at Busch Stadium.
However, it makes sense that a deal to the Royals is unlikely. Even if Arenado was willing to accept a deal to the Royals, Kansas City may not want to take on the vast majority of the money left on his contract, as that is something St. Louis would want them to do to lower their payroll.
It will be interesting to see what the Royals decide to do as they look to improve their offense.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.