5 potential trade destinations for Nolan Arenado after openness to position change

San Diego Padres

Here's our first new potential destination now that we know Arenado may not play third base for his new team. Could Arenado and Manny Machado be the new big-name hot-corner duo in the National League?

The San Diego Padres have been trying to get over the hump in the National League for a while now, and after getting knocked out by their division rival and the World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs, they'll be extra motivated to take down the Dodgers and make their own World Series run.

Along with the Dodgers, the Padres have to worry about clubs like the Braves, Phillies, and Mets as well, so the always creative and aggressive A.J. Preller could see Arenado as a great fit for their roster as they reload.

The Padres have more financial concerns than they used to due to their own RSN issues, and they already have a lot of big contracts on their books. The potential appeal with Arenado though would be that the Padres could send better prospects to the Cardinals in order to get them to pay down his contract further, and that would make his salary more manageable for the club long-term.

Arenado is set to make $32 million in 2025, $27 million in 2026, and $15 million in 2027. The Rockies are already paying down $5 million of that contract in both 2025 and 2026, and if the Cardinals paid down another $5 million per year, that could look more like $22 million in 2025, $17 million in 2026, and $10 million in 2027.

The Cardinals could kick in more or less money than that, but I could totally see Preller getting creative here and making an aggressive move for Arenado. The Padres have a knack for building up strong farm systems quickly and then aggressively moving prospects to acquire names like Juan Soto, Luis Arraez, Dylan Cease, and countless others from the past.

If the Padres added Arenado, they'd boast a lineup of Arenado, Machado, Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts. That mix of power, on-base skills, contact, and speed, with both right-handed and left-handed bats, would create a dynamic lineup that could push them past the Dodgers or other National League powerhouses in 2025.

For the Cardinals, it really does sound like they want the best possible offer at this point. I really do think Arenado would love to end up on the West Coast for a contender like the Padres, and if the Cardinals do pay down that contract, the Padres are a club that we know isn't afraid to throw out significant prospects to better their big league roster.

Moving Arenado to a club like the Padres for a good return would strengthen the Cardinals' farm system, but even as I said we know the Padres aren't afraid to make big moves, they did just trade 12 of their top 21 prospects this past season, so maybe their aggressiveness will be tempered down. But when it comes to Preller, it's hard to believe that will be the case.