The St. Louis Cardinals and Nolan Arenado have been together for a few years, and while there hasn’t been immense postseason success, their trade back in the 2021 season has been a resounding success.
Now, after five years in St. Louis, the Cardinals are rumored to be shopping the ten-time Gold Glove third baseman. Jim Bowden of The Athletic also thinks an Arenado deal is still on the table, and expressed so in his latest trade deadline piece.
“The Cardinals could still move Nolan Arenado and be willing to pay down his contract,” Bowden writes, “a team like the Tigers makes a lot of sense in that scenario because St. Louis could include a reliever in the deal as well.”
Bowden, a former MLB executive, knows a lot about the inner workings of front offices. His proposing that the Cardinals could still move on from Arenado, despite him shutting down a trade to the Houston Astros in the offseason, is noteworthy.
He has a full no-trade clause, making any deal difficult to accomplish. Arenado can shut down any trade he’s a part of, even if he’s going to a World Series contender like the Tigers.
But, Bowden still thinks the Cardinals can trade him, even with the caveat of the full no-trade clause. If Arenado does decide to accept a trade, a team would be picking up the remainder of his contract through the 2027 season.
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Of course, the Cardinals would likely take on some of the money for a stronger return, but still, it’d be a huge investment for a team to make at the deadline. And yet, Bowden thinks such a scenario is possible.
This season, Arenado has a .680 OPS, the lowest of his incredible 13-year MLB career. His production on the field hasn’t been the same as it once was, but there would still be teams’ interest in landing the Cardinals’ third baseman.
He’s putting together a Hall of Fame resume, thanks to his Gold Gloves, six Platinum Gloves, eight All-Stars, and strong career statistics. He has 401 doubles, 351 home runs, 1,174 RBIs, and 1,905 hits.
Any team bringing Arenado in will likely have a Hall of Famer at the end of his career. While he hasn’t been the best this season or last, he’s still a solid player and would get plenty of fans excited about bringing him in.
Bowden thinks a deal is still possible, and that the Cardinals could move Arenado at this year’s MLB trade deadline. While a lot would need to happen for a deal to occur, there are a couple of teams looking to land a third baseman, which could help facilitate a deal.
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