Cubs' big free agent chase will directly impact Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado trade

While we await the beginning of the Winter Meetings, the St. Louis Cardinals are hopefully going to use the few days that all teams are together to get some more deals done. After dealing Sonny Gray, the Cardinals remain a popular contact for rival GMs, but it is apparent that other teams will not sit around and wait for St. Louis to make another move.

Recently, now former Cardinals Athletic writer Katie Woo wrote that the team would only deal utility man Brendan Donovan if they were "blown away" by an offer and seem to still be deciding which of their cost-controlled bats they are looking to trade. With the update that Willson Contreras is also more open to a trade than he was last season, the Cardinals could be candidates to deal as many as five major league hitters. Of that group, their least attractive, yet potentially most important, trade piece is third baseman Nolan Arenado, who still remains in St. Louis after rumors of a trade going back to this time last year.

The Chicago Cubs could have a say in the Nolan Arenado trade market.

The Winter Meetings will get the MLB Hot Stove warming up again, and fans will likely be hearing news and speculation multiple times per day while GMs are together next week. The reported interest around the veteran third baseman has been barren, as Arenado is coming off consecutive below-average seasons that saw him sapped of all power and end his Gold Glove Award streak. Add on the fact that he is still owed over $20 million per year for the next two seasons, and finding a match for Arenado may be harder than anticipated for someone of his name value.

Also hindering his value is the fact that MLB Trade Rumors has four third basemen listed among the top 50 available players and there are better, cheaper, and/or younger options on the trade market. One of these top choices is once again Alex Bregman, who had a prolonged stay in free agency last season before signing a deal with the Red Sox that included an opt-out after each year. Bregman took advantage of a great but injury-shortened season to potentially sign a longer-term deal this offseason, and the division rival Chicago Cubs have been checking in on Bregman.

The Cubs are not seen as a fit for Arenado, even if he were not in the same division, but if the Cubs are able to convince Bregman to sign with Chicago, that could create slightly more buzz in the Arenado market for teams that have to shift their focus. Finding a taker for the final two years of Arenado's deal may be tough unless St. Louis covers a solid portion of his salary, but it is important for the team's progress that the two sides cut ties with one another. Chaim Bloom said that the team has no interest in releasing the third baseman if they cannot work out a trade, but in order to evaluate the young prospects and convince fans that things will be different in the future, Arenado unfortunately needs to be on his way out of St. Louis one way or another.