If the St. Louis Cardinals can continue to rack up wins, the trade speculaton -- at least all of the chatter about trade people away -- will be put to rest.
Over the last few months, the biggest talking points when it has come to the team has been about where different guys could go in the case of a firesale. Fortunately, the Cardinals are red-hot right now and starting to change the narrative. There's still buzz out there about the possibility of trades, though.
ESPN's Buster Olney shared a column on Monday in which he examined early trade deadline options and unsurprisingly mentioned Nolan Arenado but interestingly mentioned the Chicago Cubs as a team that needs a boost at third base.
"No. 6. A Nolan Arenado trade could still be possible," Olney said. "Conditions are emerging to foster this possibility, if Arenado waives his no-trade clause and if the Cardinals are willing to deal him. Normally, it's not easy to move a position player with money attached at midseason, but contenders could be interested in acquiring the eight-time All-Star third baseman. The Cubs haven't found a solution at third base, and the Yankees will soon try DJ LeMahieu in their ongoing attempt to fill the position. The Los Angeles Dodgers waited last season for Max Muncy to turn around a slow start, and he eventually did; this year, they're waiting again."
Right now, the Chicago Cubs are in first place in the National League Central with a 23-18 record. The Cardinals are right on their tail, though, with a 22-19 record. If the Cardinals aren't in playoff contention around the deadline, surely we could see some sort of move. But, a deal of this size within the division -- especially when Arenado's contract doesn't expire this offseason -- seems very unlikely.
More MLB: Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado Has Noticed Significant Change In St. Louis
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