Cardinals' Nolan Arenado would be a good fit for this perennial contender

Reports have indicated that St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman Nolan Arenado would consider waiving his no-trade clause this offseason. There would not be a shortage of teams interested in his services.

The Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and several other teams would be good fits for the eight-time All-Star. While Arenado has not been able to put up spectacular numbers these past two years, he is still a Gold-Glove candidate with at least league-average offense.

The complicating factors in trading Nado would be his no-trade clause, something that he may be interested in waiving given the right fit, and the money he's owed these next three years. He's owed a total of $74 million over these next three years, but the Colorado Rockies will still kick in $5 million in 2025 and 2026, and there are some deferments attached to his contract.

Aside from the Phillies and Dodgers, there is one team that could benefit tremendously by trading for Nolan Arenado: The Houston Astros.

Since 2016, Alex Bregman has manned the hot corner for the Houston Astros. He's been a part of two world championship teams, and he has a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award to boot. While he hasn't been as dominant as Arenado has been in the last eight years, Bregman was still a top-five third baseman in the league during that time.

However, Bregman's five-year, $100 million deal has expired, and he's now a free agent, likely one of the priciest on the market this winter. If the Astros aren't interested in signing him, there will be an opening at third base in Houston.

Arenado would likely be an upgrade defensively over Bregman at third base, as Bregman has accumulated 22 outs above average in his nine seasons in Houston. Arenado, however, would be a downgrade offensively to Bregman, especially when considering each player's stats these past two years.

The Cardinals would probably have to send money over with Arenado, though it may not have to be much, as $20 million a year is exactly what the Astros paid Bregman these past five years. Financially, the Astros have the wiggle room to take on a contract like that.

Houston only has one prospect in MLB Pipeline's top-100 list: outfielder Jacob Melton. It's not likely the Cardinals target him. St. Louis could ask about infielder Brice Matthews or any of the Astros' other top-10 prospects, but their weak farm system may not be sufficient.

Therefore, the Cardinals could transition to one of the Astros' starting pitchers. They'll boast a rotation of Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Spencer Arrighetti, Luis Garcia, J.P. France, and Lance McCullers Jr. in 2025. Cristian Javier could return toward the end of the year after having Tommy John Surgery in early June.

If possible, the Cardinals could look to acquire Luis Garcia. Garcia is arbitration-eligible for the next two years, and he's coming off Tommy John Surgery. If the Astros don't want to roll the dice for him in his recovery, the Cardinals could look to work him back up to his former success.

Cristian Javier is also working back from an injury, and he's on the books for $54 million over the next three years. That's a near-equal swap in salary. The Cardinals would likely have to include one of their prospects in a deal for Javier., but his uncertainty for 2025 may not require that additional player.

If the Houston Astros don't re-sign Alex Bregman this offseason, trading for Nolan Arenado would be a great fallback for them.