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 is even willing to change positions if it gets him where he wants to go. This is according to Arenado’s agent Joel Wolfe, who spoke with reporters Tuesday at 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.”
Arenado is a 10-time gold-glove winner at third base, but 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.
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’s 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. But the Cardinals missed the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, and it 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 while 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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