May 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) celebrates after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Why Cardinals Haven't Traded Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 5, 2026 6:00 PM ET

It's been no secret throughout the offseason so far that the St. Louis Cardinals have been looking to make trades.

St. Louis has had success twice already, but there's obviously more work to be done. Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan are potentially the two guys who are most publicly on the trade block around the league right now. Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks has been a popular trade chip as well, but The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported that the club is expected to "move on soon" from trade discussions. Nick Castellanos is another guy who was in trade rumors early on this offseason early on and very well could be moved, but hasn't gotten much buzz in weeks at this point.

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Edward Cabrera of the Miami Marlins has been linked to the New York Yankees, but no deal has gotten done as of writing. There are other guys out there who have been the subject of speculation themselves, but nothing to the extent of Donovan and Arenado. With that being said, why haven't they been moved? Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shed some light on the markets on Monday.

The Cardinals are waiting around and seeing what happens

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"At this point it shouldn't be a surprise that Major League Baseball's offseason has a sluggish pace," Goold wrote. "It seems like every year we go through this, and we ruminate on what the causes are and pen think pieces on what it does to the industry, does to teams, etc., etc., and each year it's the same slow paced thing. And that's contributing to the situation for the Cardinals and Nolan Arenado.

"As long as there's Alec Bregman available, and as long as there is Eugenio Suarez available, and as long as there are going to be more appealing landing spots considering those two third basemen, the Cardinals and Arenado are going to be waiting on that market to move before the interest can really be clear. Same with Marte when it comes to Donovan and so on ... It's been that kind of winter for Cardinals and these conversations."

So, the Cardinals need public resolutions in the Bregman, Suarez, and Marte markets as soon as possible. It seems like the Marte market is coming to a close, but St. Louis needs these markets to wrap up so it can have a better look and see where it can send Arenado and Donovan.

It's been an odd offseason. Hopefully, we start to see the dam break in the coming days.

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

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