Ranking the Cardinals 6 most valuable trade candidates they can sell this offseason

#6 - Nolan Arenado

It feels odd having Nolan Arenado be the least valuable trade candidate on this list, but I think you'll understand why very quickly if you did not think so already.

Arenado is coming off perhaps the two worst seasons of his career outside of the pandemic-shortened season. When Arenado was traded from the Rockies to the Cardinals prior to the 2021 season, the Rockies had to eat $50 million of Arenado's contract and got a weak package in return, despite the fact that there was real hope Arenado could turn in some great years in the future.

Well, now Arenado is 33 years old and hasn't played great baseball since prior to the 2023 All-Star Break. He still provides value on the field for sure, but I'm not quite sure anyone wants to pay a player who has posted 5.8 fWAR over his last two years combined the remaining three years and $74 million he is owed.

The annual value does decrease each year of the deal ($32 million in 2025, $27 million in 2026, and $15 million in 2027), and the Rockies are kicking in $5 million for both 2025 and 2026. Still, it's quite the contract for an aging veteran who has been in a steep decline, no matter what kind of name power Arenado has.

There's also the fact that Arenado has a no-trade clause and would likely have a very small list of teams he would be willing to go to if not just one. That's part of why the Cardinals were able to swing the kind of deal they did for him originally, as the Rockies really had no choice other than to keep Arenado or trade him to St. Louis.

If Arenado green-lights a trade, I'd be shocked if it is to anywhere other than Los Angeles, unless the Dodgers do not want him. Then perhaps he would open up his options to other clubs, but I feel like Arenado ending up with the Dodgers makes too much sense at this point.

The Cardinals may have to pay money down on Arenado's deal, and even if they do that, they likely won't get anything in return unless they kick in a lot of cash. If the Dodgers know they are not bidding against anyone else, and they are probably doing the Cardinals a bit of a favor acquiring him, then they can basically give nothing up to get this done.

There are two ways I could see Arenado's trade value being a bit higher than I am giving it credit for. The first would be if he is open to a variety of destinations, as that creates a bit of a market for St. Louis to potentially negotiate with. Second would be if Arenado is okay staying with the Cardinals, as then St. Louis has leverage to say they do not have to trade him. If a team really wants him, then they'll have to give up more than I thought they would.

I'm going to say it's far more likely that Arenado will ask for a trade to the Dodgers, and that gives the Cardinals basically zero leverage in negotiations. Hence why I see Arenado being the least valuable asset they have to move out of their "seller's" pieces.