The St. Louis Cardinals are very likely to move on from Nolan Arenado this offseason, in some capacity. He’s got two years of his $275 million deal left, and with the team looking to shed money and enter a rebuild, Arenado doesn’t have a role going forward.
Chaim Bloom, taking over for John Mozeliak as the president of baseball operations, will look to make some changes this offseason. One of those changes will likely be trading Arenado to a contender.
With Arenado very likely on his way out, the future Hall of Fame third baseman revealed in a piece by Katie Woo of The Athletic that “drastic changes” need to come to both the Cardinals and himself this offseason.
Nolan Arenado believes big changes need to come for the Cardinals and himself this winter
“There are drastic changes that need to happen for me individually,” Arenado said. “And probably with this team. I’m not a part of those plans for those changes for the team, and that’s okay. I understand that. … It looks like it’s best to move on.”
Starting with Arenado’s individual changes, he will look to rediscover his swing and offensive prowess from just a couple of years ago. This season, he had the lowest OPS of his career by a wide margin, at a .660 OPS compared to his previous career low of .706 in 2013 during his rookie season. After that, it was a .719 OPS in 2024.
He’s set career lows in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. While he’s still a good defender, his offensive regression is a huge reason why the Cardinals’ decision to move on from Arenado this winter isn’t a hard one.
More: Tigers named potential candidate for Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado
The Cardinals’ third baseman knows he needs to change, but also that the Cardinals as a team need to change. Players like Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, and potentially Willson Contreras could all be trade pieces this winter.
St. Louis is looking to get younger and cheaper, and moving on from these veterans on big deals, or about to be on big deals, makes a lot of sense. They aren’t planning to be competitive in 2026, which means Arenado has no place on the roster.
The Cardinals are going to be making some tough decisions, including the move to ship off Arenado this winter. This comment from Arenado shows that not only is he aware of the moves coming in St. Louis, but he believes they are needed moves to move forward as a team.
Entering a rebuild isn’t a bad idea, especially with the current construction of the Cardinals roster. But those drastic changes coming are still going to sting, even if they are expected. It’s the end of an era in St. Louis, as Bloom takes over to rebuild this Cardinals team starting in 2026.
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