What does the future look like for Nolan Arenado after staying put in St. Louis?

The offseason drama for Nolan Arenado is coming to an end. The entire plan for the St. Louis Cardinals and Arenado was to find a suitable trade to close this chapter in their history together. As not very many opportunities presented themselves, it appears no more will be arising. The best chance to move Arenado came in December when the Cardinals and the Houston Astros agreed on a deal, but Arenado did not accept the trade.

After months of questioning Arenado's decision, and even the decision-making behind the self-proclaimed "reset" from the organization, fans have been ready to finally end this marriage and move on. The final chance looked to be trading Arenado to the Boston Red Sox, which was his preferred destination. But after the Red Sox landed a free agent Alex Bregman, the market for Arenado seems to have also closed.

Position players will be reporting to Jupiter on Monday, and it is expected that Arenado will be present. With an off-season full of Instagram stories in the batting cage, he looks ready to get back on the field. The organization looks ready to have their starting third baseman return for the 2025 season. With no positive outlook on a suitable trade and spring training ramping up, all the Cardinals can do is ready themselves for camp and prepare for the 2025 season. Fans will continue to watch a potential Hall of Famer be the star of their team, while the Cardinals will gamble on Arenado bouncing back to increase his value for a potential trade deadline move.

So the biggest question now becomes: What happens with Nolan Gorman? With the entire offseason plan to move Arenado and open up opportunities for younger players, this had a huge impact on Nolan Gorman. Fans and the organization agree that Gorman has been a developmental project and has now reached the point in his career to really show he can take the next step. The only way to do this is by playing every day. But with second base being taken over by Brendan Donovan and Thomas Saggese, Gorman's only shot at consistent playing time was at third base. The failure to move Arenado and his financial commitment to the team's payroll will now hinder any chance for Gorman to become a regular within the lineup.

The entire offseason was to provide certainty to a plan that would move the Cardinals out of neutral and move toward a goal to compete again. Months later, the organization has more uncertainty than they did starting the offseason. Spring training is gearing up, and the team looks identical to last season. The opportunity for roster competition isn’t as wide open as it’s often interpreted, and the veteran contracts desired to move are staying put and are becoming unmovable. Many declared visions for the future of the club are now blurry, and the future for Nolan Gorman is looking more bleak than ever.