5 Cardinals players most likely to be traded at this year's Winter Meetings

Nolan Arenado

Whether it's a Kendrick Lamar song with the Dodgers' name in it or reposting a Dodgers fan's wishes on his Instagram story, Nolan Arenado certainly was not doing anything on social media this week to point fans away from the reality that he'll likely be traded this offseason.

Katie Woo of The Athletic has been on top of this situation for a while now, and although she has reiterated that Arenado has not requested a trade from St. Louis, both sides are open to the idea of it, and the feeling around the league is that Arenado is more likely to be traded than not.

I find it notable that New York Yankees beat writer Randy Miller recently shared that he's heard that both the Dodgers and Yankees are interested in Arenado, and he believes the Dodgers are the team to beat in the sweepstakes. Both teams are in hot pursuit of Juan Soto right now, but once that saga is finalized, either or both may pivot directly to Arenado.

Other teams could certainly enter that conversation along with them, including third base-needy teams like the Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers. Arenado's willingness to play first base could even entice some times like the San Diego Padres or San Francisco Giants.

Arenado's market may develop slowly, but it's been reported by multiple beat writers that the Cardinals expect those talks to pick up steam at the Winter Meetings, and if Juan Soto has signed by then, we could really see a trade happen. The status of free agents like Alex Bregman and Willy Adames could play a role as well.

As of right now, there is still a world where the Cardinals hold onto Arenado, so teams are going to have to make real offers to get him in a deal. It seems like the Cardinals are willing to eat money on his deal to get a better return, something I totally support them doing. At this point, it does seem best for both sides that a trade happens, but the Cardinals don't need to do themselves a disservice here.

Arenado's patience and willingness to play in multiple places are going to be key to this though. If Arenado limits his destinations to just a few spots, it may be difficult for the Cardinals to extract real value. But if Arenado is open-minded about where he could end up, that will help the Cardinals out tremendously. At the end of the day, Arenado has a no-trade clause, so he does control his own destiny.

I expect to see movement happen on the Arenado front at next week's Winter Meetings, with a deal. potentially being finalized as well. If not, we should know by the end of that week who the potential suitors could be and what suitors are bowing out of those conversations. As of right now, I'd be looking at the Dodgers as Arenado's destination, but we'll have to see how things play out over this next week.