St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Monday that “it’s my intention to try” to trade eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado this winter.
Arenado, who has a full no-trade clause, is ready to facilitate a deal and even willing to change positions if that gets him where he wants to go. This is according to Arenado’s agent, Joel Wolfe, who spoke with reporters Tuesday at the winter meetings in Dallas.
“Nolan’s willing to strongly consider it, if it’s the right place to go, but he’s not going to go just anywhere,” Wolfe said, per ESPN. Wolfe added that Arenado “wants to win.”
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Arenado is a 10-time Gold Glove winner at third base, but he apparently has no qualms about a move, even to first base, if he’s amenable to the destination.
“Nolan was like, ‘I’ll play shortstop. I’ll do whatever, but I’m not insulted to go play first, and I can win a Gold Glove over there,'” Wolfe said.
While he might not mind a position change, Arenado apparently does have some thoughts on which teams can use him. Per MLB.com’s John Denton, Arenado is willing to accept trades to the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets or Boston Red Sox.
Arenado is the best defensive third baseman of his generation and has carried an exceptional bat throughout his career. He is a three-time NL home run champion and twice led the NL in RBI with the Colorado Rockies. But he has never played for a contender and has played in just eight playoff games over the course of his 12-season career with the Rockies and Cardinals.
The Cardinals traded for Arenado in 2021 in the middle of a run of four straight postseason appearances. They then missed the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, and it now makes sense for both sides to work out a trade, with St. Louis not projected among next season’s World Series contenders.
Arenado is due $74 million over the final three seasons of an eight-year, $260 million extension he signed with the Rockies in 2019. He also showed signs of decline last season, slashing .272/.325/.391 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI. The home run and RBI totals are the lowest of his career in a non-COVID-shortened season since 2014.
At 33 years old, he’s not the player he used to be. But he can certainly offer value for a contender seeking to upgrade its infield.
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