Nolan Arenado is not at Cardinals spring training amidst continued trade talks

Nolan Arenado's arrival to Jupiter means his trade saga lingers on for the Cardinals

Josh Jacobs

St. Louis Cardinals v Washington Nationals / Michael Reaves/GettyImages

*This story has since been updated as a corrected report from Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat states he was wrong in his reporting of Nolan Arenado being at camp.

St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman Nolan Arenado has not reported to spring training today, despite previous reports that he was in camp today.

What would have been a shocking reality months ago is the current reality the Cardinals find themselves in. John Mozeliak's offseason priority "number one, two, and three" has been stalled out due to the dragged-out Alex Bregman sweepstakes as well as a veoted trade from Arenado that would have sent him to the Houston Astros back in December.

I have to eat this and apologize. I have since been told that Nolan Arenado is definitively not in Florida and is still at home in Southern California. I do not know who I saw walking into the clubhouse this morning, but it's quite apparent to me that I was mistaken. https://t.co/i6FVltFjXo
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) February 10, 2025

So the question is, will Arenado join the Cardinals at camp this spring?

Nolan Arenado is still at home in Southern California as the Cardinals report to spring training

Obviously both Arenado and the Cardinals would like to find a trade for him, but with camp beginning, it gets a lot more complicated to get a deal done. Jones pointed out today that both the Red Sox and Yankees have their spring training locations in Florida, so I guess travel won't be much of a concern in getting something done if Arenado does report to camp.

Once Bregman finally signs, we'll truly know whether or not Arenado will find a new home for 2025 and beyond. The Red Sox have remained a heavy player in Bregman's market, and they appear to be the main pivot team if they miss out on Bregman. The Cardinals have reportedly checked back in with the Dodgers and Yankees as well, but their level of interest remains unclear.

Arenado's presence on the roster, at least for now, shifts things for the Cardinals in a substantial way. Third base is still not an open runway for Nolan Gorman, which bounces him back to second base and probably means Brendan Donovan will not have a defensive home again. If Lars Nootbaar ends up playing left field, that likely means Alec Burleson no longer has a starting role.

Still, the Cardinals hold out hope that something will happen sooner rather than later. For now, Arenado is not at spring training, and we'll keep a close eye on how that dynamic goes and the storylines coming out of camp if he does return.

Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs has been the Site Expert for Redbird Rants since October 2022. Josh began writing for FanSided in December 2021 and has also held roles as a Contributor for Redbird Rants and was formerly the Site Expert for Rays Colored Glasses. Josh is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan and is passionate about providing thoughtful coverage and for Cardinals Nation. Josh’s experience includes covering Cardinals’ events like Winter Warm-Up, building relationships with Cardinals players, prospects, and employees, and guest appearances on local radio and podcasts. Josh is also the host of the Dealin’ the Cards podcast and co-host of “Philosophical Differences” with KMOV’s Brenden Schaeffer. You can find Josh on Twitter @joshjaco98 for even more opinions and coverage of the team.