Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) runs home after his solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Where Cardinals Can Pivot After Trading Nolan Arenado

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 16, 2026 10:32 AM ET

Chaim Bloom's first offseason as the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations has been a success so far.

The Cardinals have taken a chance on guys with upside -- who also could be trade candidates down the road -- in Dustin May, Ryne Stanek, and Justin Bruihl. The Cardinals added big league-ready starting pitching in Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts and a handful of prospects in exchange for Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras.

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All in all, it has been a good offseason for the Cardinals from the perspective that they are building for the future. The 2026 season may not be great in the standings, but the club is going to give its young guys a chance to show what they can do while building for the future in the process. With Contreras and Arenado both gone, the club could use another right-handed bat and former Cardinals hurler Kyle Gibson floated a very intriguing name on "Cardinal Territory": Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

The Cardinals should sign Isiah Kiner-Falefa

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"Isiah Kiner-Falefa really makes sense right now for the St. Louis Cardinals," Gibson said. "I think he adds another veteran. We talk about like (Brendan Donovan) not being a veteran. Or we think about adding a veteran like Donnie can't do that. Donnie is one of those guys. I think Kiner adds a different level of experience in the playoffs in different organizations. I think he is a guy I would absolutely bring in at this point."

Kiner-Falefa is the exact type of player the club should be targeting right now. He's 30 years old and is an eight-year big league veteran. The Cardinals have a very young team. Adding someone who not only has been around the block, but can also play all over the field would help with lineup flexibility. Plus, he's a right-handed bat with a career .262/.311/.349 slash line in 138 games played.

He spent a bit of time in the National League Central in 2025 with the Pittsburgh Pirates before joining the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, he's out there for the taking and he's someone who could help in multiple ways. First and foremost, he would give the team a right-handed bat and veteran presence. That in itself would be positive. On top of that, his flexibility is valuable. He would immediately be an intriguing trade deadline candidate as well.

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

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