Cardinals Pushed To Cut Ties With $260 Million Star After Erick Fedde DFA

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a tough spot with a lot of big decisions on their plate in the coming days. But they've already made one big decision.

Earlier this week, the Cardinals opted to designate Erick Fedde for assignment. This was a big decision that many speculated but didn't expect to happen. It's a bold move that helps set the Cardinals up for the future. Now, St. Louis will need to make a few more big decisions.

FanSided's Christopher Kline recently suggested the Cardinals should "cut bait" with veteran infielder Nolan Arenado following the Fedde decision.

"Well, the Cards never won much of anything and now Arenado is on the decline with two more (expensive) years left on his contract," Kline wrote. "He also has a no-trade clause, which makes it difficult to move on. The Cardinals almost found a taker last offseason, only for Arenado to opt out of the trade at the last second.

"Mozeliak is expected to check back in with Arenado ahead of the deadline. If he's willing to join a contender, the Cardinals should leap at the opportunity — even if it requires paying down the majority of his salary. Arenado is still an excellent defender at the hot corner, but the power has left his swing and he's sitting at a career-low .686 OPS for the season. It's time to get out from under him and build around youth in the infield."

Cutting bait with Arenado isn't as easy as it seems unless the Cardinals are willing to DFA him and eat his entire salary, which seems very unlikely.

At this point, a trade isn't likely. Arenado hasn't shown a willingness to waive his no-trade clause for any team that's truly interested in him. The Cardinals don't seem to want to eat much of his contract. It's a disaster.

Expect to see Arenado on the Cardinals roster for the rest of the season at the very least.