St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Monday that “it is my intention” to trade eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado this winter.
Arenado, who has a full no-trade clause, is willing to make a deal happen and is even willing to change positions if it gets him where he wants to go. So says Arenado’s agent Joel Wolfe, who spoke to reporters Tuesday at winter meetings in Dallas.
“Nolan is willing to think strongly about it if it’s the right place to go, but he’s not going to just go anywhere,” Wolfe told ESPN. Wolfe added that Arenado “wants to win.”
Arenado is a 10-time Gold Glove winner at third base, but apparently has no qualms about even moving to first base if he’s amenable to the destination.
“Nolan was like, ‘I play shortstop, I’ll do anything, but I’m not offended by going first, and I can win a Gold Glove there,’” Wolfe said.
Arenado is the best defensive third baseman of his generation and has carried an exceptional bat throughout his career. He was 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 midst of a streak of four consecutive postseason appearances. But the Cardinals missed the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, and it makes sense for both sides to pull off a trade with St. Louis that isn’t expected 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 is no longer the player he used to be. But he can certainly provide value to a competitor looking to improve their infield.
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