After an extended saga of attempting to trade their cornerstone third baseman, the St. Louis Cardinals are looking to capitalize on recent movement in the market and are in serious discussions to send eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks, multiple team sources told The Athletic on Tuesday.
The expected trade of Arenado comes as no surprise, as the rebuilding Cardinals were perhaps more motivated to move him than they were last winter.
But trading him was certainly not a given. Moving Arenado has been complicated due to various layers of logistics, including his remaining salary and a full no-trade clause he exercised last year.
A shift in the third base market in recent days changed the picture. Alex Bregman agreeing to a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs freed up a landing spot for Arenado. The Diamondbacks, who had emerged as potential suitors for Bregman before he signed with Chicago, were also seeking to add a right-handed corner infielder. Arizona pivoted quickly to Arenado, and after some deliberation, the 13-year veteran agreed to waive his no-trade clause.
Arenado has two years and roughly $40 million remaining of the eight-year, $260 million contract he signed with the Colorado Rockies in 2019. He will make $27 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027, including deferrals.
At that rate, he no longer fit in the Cardinals’ plans. St. Louis is emphasizing youth and player development under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, who has already traded veterans Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras. Arenado has stated multiple times that his preference is to play for a contending team. Coming back next season would have been detrimental for both parties.
“It is clear to everybody that it would be best to find a different fit,” Bloom said to reporters during MLB’s general managers’ meetings in November.
The deal wraps up nearly 15 months of intermittent trade discussions. The Cardinals intended to trade Arenado last winter, with former president of baseball operations John Mozeliak going as far as to say that moving Arenado was “priority one, two and three.” But Mozeliak was unable to move Arenado due to the player’s rights (which he used to nix a trade to the Houston Astros) and ownership’s reluctance to take on additional salary.
Both sides made concessions heading into this offseason to avoid the same fate. According to multiple team sources, Arenado provided Bloom with an expanded list of teams he’d waive his no-trade clause for, and ownership privately agreed to include more money in a deal if it ensured the completion of a trade.
Arenado, who will turn 35 in April, is coming off another disappointing season where he missed six weeks with a right shoulder strain. While his defensive acumen remains highly ranked, his offense declined for the third straight season. His .237 average and .666 OPS were full-season career lows, and his 12 home runs were his fewest since hitting 10 in his rookie season in 2013.
The 10-time Gold Glove winner will join a Diamondbacks team that won the NL pennant in 2023 but has missed the postseason in back-to-back seasons. Last week, Arizona ended weeks of trade speculation surrounding second baseman Ketel Marte by determining they would not trade him. Now Arenado joins Marte and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to make up a strong starting infield, with Arizona still looking to add to its bullpen.
The Diamondbacks have already fortified their starting rotation by bringing back free-agent Merrill Kelly on a two-year deal after trading him at last year’s deadline, and signing right-handed veteran Mike Soroka. Their hope is to field a competitive club alongside the reining champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. However, they will be flexible with Arenado, and if they aren’t contending come July, they could look to trade the third baseman once more.
