Cardinals, Nolan Arenado Trade News Emerges Amid MLB Offseason

For a franchise shifting toward younger talent, Arenado’s situation looms as one of the biggest questions of Bloom’s tenure. He has two more years remaining on his contract and is owed $16 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027 before entering unrestricted free agency.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the question is not if Arenado will be traded but where he will land. Passan broke down the trade market into three categories and placed Arenado in the “where will they go” group.

“Trade options: With a Tarik Skubal deal exceedingly unlikely, the attention will turn to three groups. The probably won’t go (Freddy Peralta, Hunter Greene, Byron Buxton, Steven Kwan), the will they be traded (Ketel Marte, Jarren Duran, Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez), and the where will they go (Brendan Donovan, Luis Robert Jr., Jeff McNeil, Nolan Arenado),” he wrote.

With Arenado now prepared to waive his no-trade clause and suit up for another organization, it is likely the Cardinals will need to include financial considerations in any deal, given the questions about how much production he has left in the tank. Even so, there should be no shortage of suitors considering the caliber of his career.

Across 13 seasons in MLB, Arenado has helped St. Louis reach the postseason multiple times and built a legacy defined by both elite defense and consistent dominance at the plate. His accolades speak for themselves: 10 Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, six Platinum Gloves and eight All-Star selections. Wherever Arenado finishes his career, he will remain one of the greatest third basemen of his generation.