Where Things Stand With Cardinals Star Nolan Arenado

There's going to be a lot of noise over the next few days when it comes to the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis is a mystery heading into the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline and back-to-back wins over the San Diego Padres certainly have made things even trickier. The Cardinals are in the mix for a playoff spot but also very well could trade some pieces away. Anything seems to be on the table. Trading pieces away, staying put, or maybe even adding a cheap depth option all seem like perfectly appropriate options for St. Louis right now.

One guy who obviously will be worth watching is third baseman Nolan Arenado. It seemed like a guarantee that he was going to be moved last offseason but he didn't get traded because of his no-trade clause and the money remaining on his deal. The Athletic's Katie Woo gave the latest update on the club's plans with him and noted that Arenado hasn't expanded his preferred teams list, as of now.

"Arenado has posted a stellar year defensively, but his offensive decline is worrisome," Woo said. "Arenado entered play Friday hitting .241 with an OPS of just .677. His last homer came over a month ago, on June 21, against the Cincinnati Reds. Arenado, 34, has never demanded a trade from St. Louis, but he has been vocal about his preference to play for a contending team. Eugenio Suárez represents the best available third baseman on the market, but a team looking to upgrade the hot corner could target Arenado as a potential change-of-scenery candidate.

"Similar to the offseason, however, a team interested in acquiring Arenado must also be willing to take on a significant portion of his contract. Arenado must also be willing to expand his list of approved teams, and the third baseman has not yet indicated he’d be willing to do so."

Will the Cardinals move the future Hall of Famer?