Nolan Arenado set to return for possibly his final games with the St. Louis Cardinals

Much like 2023, as the St. Louis Cardinals have faded in the playoff race, many of their key contributors have fallen out of the lineup as well. Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Victor Scott, and Nolan Arenado have all missed significant time with injuries in the second half, and now Masyn Winn will finish the year on the injured list.

As the club enters the final few weeks of the season, there's not much to play for at this point, but the club has seen the return of Donovan, Burleson, and Scott as of late, and it sounds like their future Hall of Famer third baseman will be joining the mix now as well.

The Cardinals are activating Nolan Arenado from the injured list

The Cardinals announced today that Nolan Arenado would be returning to the club from the injured list on Monday. Arenado has been out of action since the trade deadline with a shoulder injury that has bothered him for most of the season.

Arenado, who has had a terrible year at the plate and now looks much more human defensively as well, was the subject of trade rumors all offseason, but the Cardinals were unable to find a deal that worked for both Arenado and the club. But with St. Louis seemingly years away from contention at this point and looking to save money on their payroll, the odds they look to offload Arenado again this offseason seem rather high.

As Chaim Bloom takes over the Cardinals organization and John Mozeliak moves out the door, things will be changing in numerous ways. For Bloom, setting up the organization for the future is the top priority, and at this point, Arenado's contract and need for a spot in the lineup get in the way of that.

For Arenado, he's been very open about his desire to win a World Series, and that's just not going to happen while he is in St. Louis. Talks could be revisited with the Boston Red Sox or Houston Astros this offseason, or perhaps teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, or Philadelphia Phillies will step into the fray.

These last games remaining in the season can act as an audition for Arenado to find another team this offseason. No, he's not going to "up" his trade value, but he could become an option that another team will take a flyer on if the Cardinals are willing to eat a large chunk of money.