Ranking 10 trade destinations for Cardinals' Nolan Arenado

With each passing day without a deal, the chances of Nolan Arenado staying with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2025 grows. Clubs such as the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers have made clear pivots away from Nolan Arenado, and the list of teams who could use his services is ever-shrinking.

There have been legitimate reports citing connections between the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners with Arenado, and other speculative connections include the Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Does Nolan Arenado still have a fit with the Cardinals?

Well, that depends on how you view the club's offseason. If you see the "youth movement" as a facade to deplete payroll, then no, he doesn't fit on the roster. He's owed $74 million over the next three years, an onerous sum for most ball clubs.

Even if the youth movement narrative is accurate, Arenado's spot on the lineup would obstruct Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, Brendan Donovan, and even Alec Burleson from receiving regular at-bats. If he isn't traded, there is no chance that Arenado rides the bench next year. He'll be a regular starter at the hot corner if he's still on the roster come Opening Day.

There's also a world in which keeping Nolan Arenado pays greater dividends for the Cardinals in 2025. His defense is still well above average, and a motivated Arenado is a scary proposition. His best offensive years are still behind him, but if he has a strong desire to turn it around in 2025, something that has been widely reported already this offseason, then he could post numbers that are much better than the ones he posted in 2023 and 2024.

Having a veteran of Nolan Arenado's pedigree on the roster in 2025 isn't a bad thing for the Cardinals. It doesn't relieve salary for ownership, and it doesn't allow for young players to see consistent reps, but it does give the Cardinals a reliable player who is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Those types of players don't grow on trees.

The roadblocks for a deal for Nolan Arenado are numerous. He is relatively costly without money being included in a deal. The Cardinals were reportedly willing to send $15 million in a deal to Houston last month, so that's a good baseline once again. Arenado also has a full no-trade clause, an option he chose to exercise in the same Houston deal.

Arenado's sub-par postings these last two years don't help his value, either. Excluding his rookie year and 2020, Arenado's 101 OPS+ was the lowest in his career. He had a career-low .394 slugging percentage, a career-low .719 OPS, and a career-low 16 home runs. His offense isn't what it used to be, and his defense appeared to slip in 2023 and the first half of 2024.

Arenado's trade value isn't what it once was, the list of teams willing to trade for him is dwindling, and he may not be interested in playing for those who have a desire to trade for him.

Can the Cardinals find a willing trade partner for Nolan Arenado? Which team does he have a perfect fit with? Let's find out.