What if the Cardinals aren’t able to trade Nolan Arenado?
If Arenado is back with the Cardinals in 2026, then it’ll be an awkward fit in the lineup – again
For a second straight winter, one of the Cardinals’ stated goals is to trade veteran third baseman and probable future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado. Again, the goal is to open up Arenado’s position of third base so that a young – or young-ish – member of the long-term core may occupy it moving forward. Last offseason, erstwhile lead exec John Mozeliak had a deal in place with the Astros, but Arenado chose not to waive his full no-trade clause and thus blocked the swap.
This time around, Chaim Bloom will be doing the dealing, and Arenado has indicated he’ll be willing to expand his list of acceptable trade destinations. As well, the DeWitts are willing to include significant cash in any such deal, just as they were with the recent Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras trades with Boston, to defray the remainder of Arenado’s contract. Speaking of which, he’s owed $42 million through the 2027 season, and his former team the Rockies are still on the hook for $5 million of it.
What if, though, all these efforts come to grief? What if, ongoing defensive excellence notwithstanding, teams consider Arenado’s continued decline with the bat and decide he’s not worth acquiring, even with a significant cash contribution from the Cardinals? At that point, the club will need to make arrangements for Arenado to be with them for 2026, and that will mean some less-than-optimal lineup configurations for manager Oli Marmol.
Before we proceed with exploring the options for handling an Arenado return, let’s lay out a couple of presuppositions. First, let’s assume that Brendan Donovan, in keeping with rumor and reportage, is indeed traded this offseason. Second, let’s take Bloom at his word and assume that releasing Arenado is not a possibility. Upon those planks, let us now stand.
