Cardinals 'Back On Track' To End Polarizing Trade Saga This Summer

The St. Louis Cardinals face confusing times as their youth core looks to exceed expectations while the front office searches for ways to reduce the payroll.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak declared an organizational reset last fall but found it difficult to fully commit, mainly due to full no-trade clause restrictions from veterans' contracts, such as ace Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras.

However, given the way this season is going for St. Louis, it's possible Mozeliak will finally find a solution this summer to end a trade saga involving a beloved Cardinals superstar.

"That his (Nolan Arenado) dropoff is gradual and not precipitous matters a great deal to the Cardinals, who have not flinched from a winter goal of finding him a new team on which he can chase a championship," Belleville News-Democrat's Jeff Jones wrote Wednesday morning. "That deal may well materialize during this season, and it could even do so with a team that didn’t advance seriously in negotiations over the winter. Had he stepped between the lines this season and looked again like a player in free-falling decline, that option may not have been available."

After enduring his worst-career offensive campaign in 2024 and subsequently failing to find a suitable destination to accommodate his full no-trade clause, Arenado is batting .243 with 26 hits including nine doubles and three home runs, 13 RBIs and a .747 OPS in 28 games played for the Cardinals this year.

"Now, things look back on track, and that allows both player and team to take another swing toward finding a situation that works better for both," Jones continued. "They’ll be able to swing hard, too. That was also not a guarantee."

Although Arenado's stats this year aren't on par with his earlier-career offensive production, teams he'd waive his full no-trade clause for, such as the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, could be inclined to complete a deal for the 10-time Gold Glove defender this summer.

Finding a suitable trade destination for Arenado was Mozeliak's top offseason priority but with former Cardinals first-round draft pick Nolan Gorman tirelessly waiting for his turn to take over at third base and St. Louis having a mediocre 13-17 record, perhaps we'll see the 34-year-old finish his 2025 campaign elsewhere.