5 potential trade destinations for Nolan Arenado after openness to position change
The Nolan Arenado sweepstakes this offseason may end up being more interesting than we initially expected!
When it first came out that the St. Louis Cardinals would be entering a retool, the Arenado to the Los Angeles Dodgers rumors popped off immediately. But once reality set in, I think most fans began to understand that Arenado’s trade market would be more complicated than some expected, and the Dodgers actually seem like an unlikely fit despite past interest in Arenado.
Though it might have to wait until a litany of free agents find their homes, all signs point to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado being traded this offseason. That’s the direction the Cardinals are headed and Arenado himself seems on board — so long as he likes the destination enough to waive his no-trade clause. He’s reportedly even open to moving to first base.
Arenado is owed $59 million over the next two seasons, though $10 million of that is being paid by the Rockies and it’s always possible the Cardinals pick up some of the remaining money in order to facilitate a trade. Then, in 2027, Arenado is set to make $15 million in his age-36 season.
The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover hit .272/.325/.394 (101 OPS+) with 16 homers, 71 RBI and 2.5 WAR last season all while continuing to prove a very capable defender at third base. There’s more concern with his drop in slugging, especially with the higher offensive bar a move to first base would entail. That said, he also posted 7.7 WAR and finished third in MVP voting just two years ago, so it’s possible there’s something left in the tank.
Here are 10 teams that might make sense as a trade partner for the Cardinals. Purely speculative, of course, but enough lines up that it would be doable for any of these ballclubs.
Astros
The Astros immediately come to mind because Arenado is a pull-heavy hitter (per FanGraphs, last season Arenado ranked 23rd in MLB in pull% and it wasn’t an outlier) and the Crawford Boxes in Houston could help resurrect his slugging. Arenado will want to join a contender and there aren’t many teams listed as obvious contenders in the way the Astros are, given that they haven’t missed the playoffs since 2016. There could be an opening at third base if Alex Bregman walks in free agency, but the Astros could also take Arenado up on his offer to move to first base and try to fit both in their payroll. Last season, Houston rolled out a combination of José Abreu and Jon Singleton at the cold corner. In other words, an upgrade wouldn’t be difficult.
Yankees
The top priority this offseason for the Yankees is obviously Juan Soto. Once the dust settles there, we’ll see where they stand. They have an opening at first base after letting Anthony Rizzo walk in free agency. They could also put Arenado at third and play Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second. Such a move would improve the Yankees’ defense — which proved to be their undoing in Game 5 of the World Series — but the ballpark doesn’t do Arenado’s bat any favors, given how little he ever hits the ball to right field.
Mets
Pete Alonso is a free agent while the Mets are hot on the trail of Soto. This means the Mets surely wouldn’t be a factor here until after at least Soto is signed and maybe even after Alonso signs. If the Mets bring back Alonso, it doesn’t really seem like there’s a fit with Arenado. If Alonso signs elsewhere — yes, even if the Mets land Soto — Arenado would work.
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