Jun 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a solo home run against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning of game two of a doubleheader at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Cardinals Silver Lining From Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto Deal

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 5, 2026 10:06 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals are still looking to make deals.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom made that point clear on Sunday while talking about third baseman Nolan Arenado.

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"We all agree we’re at a point, both where we are and where he is, where it just makes sense to find a different fit," Bloom said. "And so we’ve been working on that. Obviously he’s still with us, so that hasn’t happened yet… I don’t feel any differently than I did at the beginning, that we do think it would be ideal for everybody to find that different fit, but it obviously has to be something that makes sense for everybody, and we have not found that yet.”

Will the Cardinals find a Nolan Arenado suitor?

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

While the Cardinals didn't get a deal done this past weekend, the team did arguably get some good news. That is because another team that reportedly has interest in Arenado didn't land a different third baseman. The Toronto Blue Jays landed slugger Kazuma Okamoto, who mainly plays first and third base. The Los Angeles Angels were among the teams connected to him, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Los Angeles has also been a team that has been linked to Arenado over the last year in numerous reports and plenty of speculation as well. Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register wrote on Dec. 30 that the Angels could be a team that trades for Arenado on Dec. 30, for example. The Angels had known interest in Arenado last offseason, but he reportedly wasn't willing to accept a deal to the Angels at the time.

Right now, there are a few third basemen available in free agency, including Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suárez. That already makes Arenado's market difficult to fully judge. Los Angeles is a team that makes sense because of the past and current interest, a hole at third base, and the fact that they are looking to add talent.

Now, it's unknown at this time if Arenado would waive his no-trade clause this year, but the fit still makes sense. The market is already tough thanks to the free agents out there. If the Angels had landed Okamoto, that would've just made things even more difficult.

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This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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