Day by day, it feels as though momentum is building for the St. Louis Cardinals to trade Nolan Arenado.
On Wednesday, it was reported that Arenado declined to waive his no-trade clause for a potential swap with the Houston Astros, though no deal had yet been finalized. The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover could very well be on the move soon, however.
Arenado is reportedly open to being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, or New York Yankees, via multiple sources. Nixing a trade to the Astros indicates that he’s serious about picking his next team, regardless of how badly St. Louis might want to move him.
Meanwhile, the Phillies appear open to dealing their own third baseman, Alec Bohm, who made the All-Star team in 2024. Bohm is more affordable than Arenado, so perhaps there’s a world where a team not on Arenado’s list could still get involved in the transaction.
On Thursday, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report proposed a three-team deal that would resolve all the concerns laid out above. Miller’s deal would send Arenado to Philadelphia, Bohm to Seattle, and net the Cardinals shortstop Colt Emerson, BR’s No. 35 overall prospect.
“One of the six teams on Arenado’s initial list of preferred landing spots was the Philadelphia Phillies,” Miller said. “For that to make sense, though, the Phillies trading away Bohm is a must, perhaps even in the same deal for a rare three-team swap.”
“Nearly one-third of the league could make a lot of sense as a candidate to trade for Bohm, but the Seattle Mariners might be the most eager of the bunch.”
Emerson, 19, was the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2023 out of high school in Ohio. He has an .838 OPS in 94 career minor-league games and finished the 2024 season with High-A Everett. He also appeared in this season’s Arizona Fall League.
If the Cardinals are dead-set on moving on from Arenado, which it seems they may be at this point, Emerson is a solid return, and he’s likely only available by getting a third team involved, since Seattle isn’t on Arenado’s list. That makes this deal a win–if it’s even on the table.
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