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

San Francisco Giants

Similar to the Padres before, the San Francisco Giants are a sneaky pick to join the Nolan Arenado sweepstakes now that we know he could potentially play first base for them.

Matt Chapman, the reigning Gold Glove winner at third base in the National League, was a freshman at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California when Arenado was a senior there. Chapman was the backup shortstop to Arenado at that time, and now the two third basemen have been the best defenders at the position for the 2010s and early 2020s.

Chapman is still at the peak of his powers defensively, so if Arenado was dealt to the Giants, I would assume that he would remain the starting third baseman over Arenado. But if the Giants did look to acquire Arenado, I think they would be an example of a team that would have him float between DH, first base, and third base, whenever Chapman needed a day off his feet.

The Giants have been craving star power for a while now. They struck out on Aaron Judge, fumbled on Carlos Correra, and haven't been able to lure in any other big names outside of Chapman and Snell on "prove-it" deals. Chapman did just agree to resign with the Giants on a long-term deal though, and Arenado could see this as a great landing spot.

Like I said with San Diego, I do think Arenado would love to be on the West Coast if possible, and the Giants are a team who are not afraid to spend and are entering new leadership under Buster Posey. As a former player and three-time World Series champion, Posey may speak Arenado's language in a way that few other baseball executives could, and Arenado's relationship with Chapman could be a helpful factor as well.

Historically, Arenado has not done well at Oracle Park at the plate, but I don't think that sample size would be large enough to scare the Giants off from a move if they like him in a vacuum. At the moment, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores form their primary first base duo in a platoon, but Arenado could take over the position and then move around to DH and third base some as well.

With where the Giants' payroll sits today, they could look to bring in Arenado and a key free agent to bolster their roster for 2025 and try to make a playoff push. They do have some significant money coming off of their books over the next few years as well, so I don't think they would be scared off by the remaining money Arenado is owed, especially if the Cardinals are willing to pay the contract down some.

Outside of figuring out if the Giants would actually be interested in Arenado, the key here would be understanding how much the West Coast matters to Arenado, and if he views the Giants as a club that could contend in the near future. They haven't been far off the playoffs in recent seasons, but they have continued to fall short in ways that could scare off Arenado from considering them as a fit.

Competing with the Dodgers, Padres, and Diamondbacks each year is no easy feat, but if the Giants want to make an aggressive push in 2025, perhaps Arenado would be a part of that equation.