Interesting match could finally end the Cardinals-Nolan Arenado saga

The new year has arrived and the St. Louis Cardinals have still made just two trades this offseason. After expecting a greater commitment to the upcoming rebuild, 2026 begins with two of the Cardinals' most-mentioned trade pieces still on the roster. However, an opening was created on the West coast when the Los Angeles Angels finally cut ties with their own high-dollar third baseman which could open the door for Nolan Arenado to be sent back to his home state.

The Los Angeles Angels are reportedly interested in Nolan Arenado

Veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado has been the topic of trade rumors for the past 12 months, and multiple times was seen as having one foot out the door to continue his career elsewhere. As we all know, those talks broke down when Arenado used his no-trade clause and remained in St. Louis for another unproductive year for both his and the team's standards. The continued downward trend in his stats kept his market cool for the 2025 season and has trickled into this offseason as the potential Hall of Famer now has to wait for the rest of the third base market to sort itself out.

That is a strange place to be for someone who was once viewed as the premier third baseman in all of baseball, but nagging injuries may have played a role in his struggles. With two years and $42 million remaining on his contract, pairing Arenado's salary to his stats has become a major reason for his continued time in St. Louis. Like the Cardinals did with Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, Chaim Bloom will have to eat a large portion of that remaining money if he wants to find a match. Armed with the no-trade clause, Arenado has the final say on any deal but he has been open with potentially expanding the list of destinations he would approve to trade to.

Last season, a handful of contenders were on that list but none had an overarching need for Arenado's services. Arenado, who is from California, was consistently connected to the Dodgers, but they preferred to bring back Max Muncy. The neighboring LA Angels were also interestingly included, as Arenado continuously stated that he wished to join a playoff team, so it seems his desire to head back home may be a bigger priority at this point. This offseason, it appears that the Angels are finally returning that interest, especially after finally cutting ties with oft-injured Anthony Rendon.

According to Katie Woo and others, the market for Arenado has been waiting for Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez to find their homes. With both players offering much higher upside for postseason contenders, it makes sense that opposing teams prefer those options over dealing assets for Arenado. The Angles, though, have never been seen as perfect fits for Bregman or Suarez, so LA's conversations with Chaim Bloom could be occurring regardless of those two.

The Angels do not have a strong farm system, but the Cardinals may not be in any spot to be picky for the return. The major goal in an Arenado deal is to shed salary and provide an opening for another player to grab everyday playing time. St. Louis will likely have to eat half or more of his remaining contract, but the potential for him to start for the Angels could be enough to faciliate a deal that could make all parties happy.