Cardinals make decision on Nolan Arenado's future
Despite speculation to the contrary, the star third baseman Nolan Arenado will remain a St. Louis Cardinal beyond Tuesday's MLB trade deadline.
On Saturday, Cardinal president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, confirmed the team's stance to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Dispatch.
"I have stated we are not trading him, have not asked him to waive his no-trade clause," Mozeliak said. "So at this time, we are working on building for future success."
Earlier this week, Mozeliak said the Cardinals had "no intention" of dealing Arenado nor first baseman Paul Goldschmidt ahead of the deadline. So, Saturday's comments aren't entirely surprising.
Arenado is only halfway through an eight-year, $260 million contract and is owed $76 million in adjusted salary over the next four seasons. However, it appears he'll stay a Cardinal for now. Also, Arenado's no-trade clause is intact until the final season of his deal in 2027, when he'll be 36 years old.
While Arenado's numbers are below his career averages this season, he's still having a more than decent 2023. Fresh off a third consecutive All-Star nod, Arenado is batting .284/.332/.517 with 22 home runs and 77 RBI through 100 games.
Arenado will remain in a Cardinals uniform for now, but that doesn't mean St. Louis will be quiet at the deadline. Trailing the first-place Cincinnati Reds (57-48) by 11 games in the National League Central, the Cardinals will likely be sellers heading into Tuesday. With Arenado and Goldschmidt probably off the table, the Cardinals still have Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks as assets who could potentially be on the move before Tuesday.
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