3 potential trade destinations Cardinals' stars could get traded to during rebuild

Nolan Arenado

Destinations: Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros

If it were not for recent comments by Nolan Arenado regarding his tone shift in how he is pouring into young guys and trying to be a leader through hard times, I would have almost guaranteed you he would be on the first flight to Los Angeles this offseason if he had the choice.

But now I am not quite as sure. And with his struggles on the field this year, his contract became even more difficult to move, even if both the Cardinals and Arenado agree to part ways. I could easily see Arenado signing up for whatever 2025 will be and pushing the front office to get back to October in 2026, but I could also see him wanting to win and deciding that needs to happen somewhere else.

In 152 games this year, Arenado slashed .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI, good for a 102 wRC+ and 3.1 fWAR season. He's still a valuable player, but not at the price tag he is being paid right now. Arenado still has three years and $75 million left on his contract, although how that is paid out is a bit confusing. The Rockies are paying the Cardinals $5 million in both 2025 and 2026, so the actual amount the Cardinals are on the hook for the last three seasons is $27 million, $22 million, and $15 million.

The Dodgers have over $70 million dollars coming off their books this offseason, and if they believe Arenado can rebound in a return home to Los Angeles, then I could see them taking a chance on him if the Cardinals ate some of that money.

Let's say the Cardinals eat $8 million per year. The Dodgers would be paying Arenado $21 million, $14 million, and $7 million in the next three seasons, which I could easily see them doing. The Cardinals would then be saving $42 million from their books in doing this, which makes a lot of sense as they look to reinvest money in other areas of the organization.

If Arenado were traded, Los Angeles would be the major betting favorite in my eyes. If I had to pick two other clubs though, I would suggest the Houston Astros and New York Yankees. The Astros will likely lose Alex Bregman this offseason and could see Arenado as a cheaper option (assuming St. Louis eats money on the deal), and the Yankees could use another right-handed bat in their lineup, especially as they are set to lose Gleyber Torres in free agency.