The Cardinals have reached a stalemate with Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado and the St. Louis Cardinals are staring across the table at each other, waiting for the other to blink. The Cardinals are exploring several avenues in an attempt to trade Arenado, whose no-trade clause allows him to reject deals to teams that he doesn't want to play for. Arenado has already nixed a trade to the Houston Astros, narrowing the Cardinals' options.

According to MLB.com's John Denton, Arenado's top destination is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who fit Arenado's desires to chase a World Series ring and are near his hometown in Orange County. However, the Dodgers have not reached out regarding Arenado, as Max Muncy looks to be a better option at the hot corner at this stage in Arenado's career.

Denton said that the Dodgers may still be willing to take on part of Arenado's contract and are holding out so the Cardinals grow more desperate, forcing St. Louis to eat more of the money in order to get a deal done. But with their stated goal of cutting payroll, the Cardinals probably won't agree to a deal that will cause them to absorb that much of his salary, and the Dodgers are unlikely to provide any significant trade capital for Arenado given their advantageous position in such a deal, even if the Cardinals take on most of his contract.

Although Arenado rejected the trade to Houston, the Astros could still come calling again if they fail to re-sign third baseman Alex Bregman. If, by that time, the Dodgers have firmly stated that Arenado is not on their radar, Arenado may be more willing to accept a move to Houston. The Philadelphia Phillies are another option for Arenado to consider, as the team is reportedly interested in severing ties with third baseman Alec Bohm, and the New York Yankees could be willing to pivot to Arenado if they're not able to reach a deal with Bregman.

But if Arenado is reluctant to brandish any uniform but the one in Dodger blue, the Cardinals might need to add Ryan Helsley to the deal to sweeten the pot, which would depress what the Cardinals could get for Helsley given the attachment of Arenado to the trade. If all else fails, they may have to hold on to the declining slugger.

Keeping Arenado in St. Louis would be detrimental to the roster retool that the Cardinals are attempting to undertake. The Cardinals recently announced that they want to try Nolan Gorman at third base in 2025, but Arenado's presence would put the kibosh on that thought. It would likely also keep Thomas Saggese, who raked in the Arizona Fall League, from playing on a regular basis.

Arenado clearly has no qualms about exercising his no-trade clause, and until he receives a firm "no" from his team of choice, he has the Cardinals by the scruff of their necks as he waits for the knight in shining armor that is the Dodgers to swoop in and take him to the promised land.