Tigers Lose Out in Trade Pursuit of Veteran Third Baseman in Blockbuster Deal

The Detroit Tigers have missed on another third base option.

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The Detroit Tigers went into the offseason with fans in an ideal world wanting them to add not just to the pitching staff, but also to the lineup.

While there have been some nice moves made especially in the bullpen, it's largely been an underwhelming winter on the offensive side of things since the retention of Gleyber Torres. Detroit simply declined to pursue Alex Bregman, and as a result he wound up with the Chicago Cubs on a huge deal.

Most would agree the biggest area of weakness for the Tigers is third base, and despite A.J. Hinch's insistence that they are just fine there, an upgrade is needed. Unfortunately though, the best chance for one may have just gone out the window.

As first reported as close by Katie Woo of The Athletic and later confirmed as done by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Arizona Diamondbacks have completed a trade for Nolan Arenado -- who Detroit has been linked to previously -- with the St. Louis Cardinals to bring the veteran out West.

Diamondbacks Steal Away Potential Tigers Trade Target Nolan Arenado

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It's unclear whether or not Detroit even made a real offer to land Arenado, however the longtime Cardinals star did have a full no-trade clause which has complicated his market for the last year as has his large contract.

The fact that stings the most here for the Tigers is that St. Louis is reportedly paying more than $30 million of the remaining $42 million, giving Arizona the future Hall of Famer essentially on a two-year deal worth less than $12 million.

As for what Detroit is missing out on in Arenado, the 10-time Gold Glove winner has certainly begun to decline a bit statistically on the offensive side of the ball, his upside is still massive and would be an upgrade to what they currently have.

Tigers Fans Will Watch Arenado Closely This Season

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Arenado's offensive numbers have been moving in the wrong direction for years now and bottomed out in 2025 with a slash line of .237/.289/.377 in 2025, however his defense still allowed him to post a 1.3 bWAR in 107 games played.

Nobody thought Arenado would come in and light the world on fire at the hot corner in Detroit, however if he has a better season than McKinstry -- who will make $4.2 million in arbitration salary this season -- it's tough to say Detroit did not miss hard here on the former MVP candidate.

The Diamondbacks got him essentially for nothing at a number for the next two years which is extremely reasonable, and the Tigers figure to still be thin at the spot moving forward into next season.

Just how big of a miss Arenado was is something that fans are going to evaluate throughout the 2026 season, and if he has a resurgent year, those same fans are certainly going to have a whole lot to say about it.