Possible Nolan Arenado trade

Nolan Arenado is on his way to the Hall of Fame. The 33-year-old is an eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and — despite a slight decline over the last year — is still someone who can be a solid contributor to a team hotly pursuing a World Series title.

However, that team may not be the Cardinals, who are retooling their roster this offseason and focusing on their young players to build the next dynasty in St. Louis. That could leave Arenado out of their 2025 plans, and there are reports that they have approached him about potentially waiving his no-trade clause and spending the final three years of his current contract in a different jersey. (Arenado is owed $74 million during that time; the Rockies are covering $10 million.)

Arenado hasn’t asked for a trade, but seems willing to waive the no-trade clause if the right situation arises. What would that be? It seems that certain conditions are required: a team willing to take on his salary (or at least a portion of it), a team with an opening at third base, and a team that is highly motivated to win right away.

How many teams would be on this list? For us, there are six that stand out from the crowd. Here they are, in alphabetical order.

Astros
Arenado, a Southern California native, has long been linked to the Dodgers, but he doesn’t necessarily fit on the defending champion roster. Could be a better fit American The league’s juggernaut of the last decade. Of course, this is contingent on the Astros not being able to bring back Alex Bregman. If not, Arenado is the ideal candidate to take over the hot corner in Houston: someone who will make roughly (if not slightly less) than Bregman over the next three years, but doesn’t require a commitment beyond that. Arenado would have the opportunity to compete for the playoffs every year, and the welcoming Crawford Boxes at the newly named Daikin Park would fit well with his pull-centric approach. If Bregman leaves, what’s not to like?

Blue Jays
You kind of have to include the Blue Jays in any conversation here, given the urgency the team showed by targeting Juan Soto in free agency (a year after heavily pursuing Shohei Ohtani). This is a team that is clearly trying to win before its core hits free agency, and Arenado can help with that. The Blue Jays have an obvious hole at third base and Arenado could team with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette to form a star infield trio. There could be concerns about the final two years of Arenado’s contract if Guerrero leaves after 2026… although not if Toronto gets Soto first.

Phillies
Come on: Arenado is a respected veteran in his 30s, known for being loved by his teammates, who has said his only stated goal is to win a World Series in the second half of his career. How is he not? already a Phillie? Anyway, the reason right now is that the Phillies have Alec Bohm at third base, but for all the progress Bohm has made over the last few years (and all the journey he’s taken with those fans), he too has been in repeatedly discussed as a trade candidate this offseason. It’s hard to argue that Arenado wouldn’t be an upgrade, and the Phillies have made their goals very clear: They want to win a World Series before every player on the roster is too old to do it again. Arenado fits those goals perfectly. Maybe they want to stay with Bohm. But Arenado must be tempting for them… and for you knowledge He would love to play with these guys.

Red Sox
Boston has a little more crowd to clear for Arenado than some of the other teams on this list. At least they have a 28-year-old star at third base in Rafael Devers. But Devers is getting to the point in his career where moving him to first base is starting to make more and more sense given his consistently subpar defense at the hot corner. That, too, seems like a bit of a problem considering the presence of first baseman Triston Casas, who will be in his age-25 season. But after a year in which Casas played in just 63 games due to injury — and wasn’t quite the hitter he was in his rookie year — there’s every indication that the Red Sox might be willing to trade him for pitching help. That would open up a spot for Devers and therefore Arenado. The Red Sox have indicated they are ready to think more urgently and aggressively than in recent years. (Damn, they’re making a serious attack on Soto.) Bringing in someone like Arenado – who could target the Green Monster – would be a clear sign that they’re trying to win outright.

tiger
The jump the Tigers made in 2024, thanks largely to their red-hot September, has raised the stakes in Detroit and they’re ready to start adding some experience to a still-young roster. Is Arenado the veteran who could help them take the next step? The Tigers have some decisions to make about young infielders Spencer Torkelson and Jace Jung — where they play or how committed they are to sticking with them — and whether they’ll get impatient or just want to show they’re serious by bringing in a Da it If it’s a player of Arenado’s caliber and reputation, this could make some sense (especially given the need for a right-handed hitter). The question here is whether the Tigers are quite willing to take the risk on what Arenado looks like in three years and how that fits with the age of their roster.

Yankees
Arenado’s hit-happy tendencies wouldn’t help him much at Yankee Stadium, and a left-handed hitter might make more sense in the Bronx. On the other hand, as you may have noticed during the postseason, the Yankees have some defensive deficiencies. Putting Arenado at third base would be very helpful there, especially since it would allow Jazz Chisholm Jr. to move back to second base, his more natural position. Of course, almost everything the Yankees do this offseason will depend on what happens with Soto, but Arenado seems to make perfect sense here. You will have to do it eventually something.