Cardinals' best hope of moving Nolan Arenado whisked away after latest deadline trade

For the last 10 months, St. Louis Cardinals fans have been in limbo as they wait to see how long Nolan Arenado remains in uniform for the organization. That process is going to extend into the offseason, barring a major surprise.

While a potential Arenado trade at this year's deadline was already a long shot, there was one team in the industry that teams seemed to be circling as a potential fit for Arenado, a club that was on his "list" back in the offseason and may have been just desperate enough to make a swing for the future Hall of Fame third baseman. Well, the New York Yankees just filled their gap at third base, closing the door on any potential of Areando ending up in the Bronx.

The Yankees' trade for Ryan McMahon closes the door on a potential Nolan Arenado trade with the Cardinals.

The Yankees had reportedly been in the market this week for a third baseman, with Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon and Arizona Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suarez at the top of their list. But with multiple other contenders also wishing to upgrade at the position, backup plans had to be in place if they were outbid for both of those names.

Well, the Yankees got their guy in McMahon, who will slide in at third base for them while Jazz Chisholm Jr. remains as their everyday second baseman moving forward. It's a good move for the Yankees but could be seen as a crushing blow for the Cardinals in their hopes of offloading the remainder of Arenado's contract.

The Yankees had discussions with the Cardinals regarding Arenado in the offseason, but nothing seemed to really come of it. Arenado was open to a move to New York, along with other teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, but he ended up suiting up for the Cardinals this year after rejecting a trade to the Houston Astros, and the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman.

Arenado has continued his decline on the field this year, slashing .241/299/.378 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI, now seeing his OPS+ drop to 11% below league average. While Arenado remains a really good defender, that does not make up for the lack of offensive production on the deal he is on. And a reminder, Arenado has to approve any trade the Cardinals want to make involving him.

Teams obviously know this, so if the Cardinals want to move Arenado, they'll have to eat some of, or a lot of, his contract to do so. But there are reasons for moving Arenado outside of just his decline at the plate. The Cardinals want to give opportunities to young players but continue to have a hard time doing so with Arenado in their lineup every day. Moving Arenado frees up some money, but it also frees up a lot of playing time for young players on their roster.

We'll see if the Cardinals can find another suitor in the offseason or magically at the deadline, but for now, this is a tough pill to swallow if you were hoping Arenado would be gone in the near future.