5 Potential Trade Destinations for Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado's monster deal is one that the Cardinals are actively shopping this winter. Where could he end up ahead of the 2025 season?

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 24: St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) warms up in the on deck circle in the first inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 24, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 24: St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) warms up in the on deck circle in the first inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 24, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The eight-year extension that Nolan Arenado signed back in 2019 with the Rockies is coming to a close in 2027 with upwards of $50M still owed to him over the next three seasons. Since his trade to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021, he’s seen some of his best and worst performances of his career on both sides of the baseball.

The idea of a trade out of St. Louis is not meant to indicate that Arenado is in any way a bad player, he’s just not living up to the value that his contract’s size demands. St. Louis is coming off an 83-win season and is looking to shed his contract.

In 2024 he posted a 101 OPS+ with 16 home runs and 71 RBI while slashing .272/.325/.394, also putting up his worst OPS mark since his rookie season. He’s taken a step or two back in the offensive department, but the potential upside of having Arenado in your lineup is worth virtually any risk to acquire him.

Arenado won 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 2013-2022 including six Platinum Gloves as the National League’s best fielder. Despite any shortcomings that his offense has shown over the last few seasons, his defense is still well above average even though it’s a little below his standards in his prime.

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Arenado’s deal has a full no-trade clause that allows him to veto any potential trades involving him before they are allowed to go through. This was put on full display recently when he blocked a trade that would have made him the Astros’ everyday third baseman.

He has the opportunity to set himself up with virtually any team that makes an offer to him, but which teams will emerge as favourites to land the 10-time Gold Glove winner?

Boston Red Sox

There has been plenty of talk recently about a potential Arenado trade to the Boston Red Sox, a team that has already made plenty of offseason moves and looking to improve upon a .500 record in 2024.

The Sox already have a franchise cornerstone third baseman in 28-year-old Rafael Devers, but discussions have certainly begun to attempt to move Devers to first base.

This move across the diamond would force first baseman Triston Casas either to the trade market or replacing Masataka Yoshida as the Sox’ everyday DH but these concerns are worth having if Boston’s able to acquire Arenado.

Devers’ defense at the hot corner has certainly been a problem for the Red Sox in recent years, as he’s posted a career -28 OAA at third base. Arenado dwarfs Devers and virtually every other third baseman with his 107 career OAA, so it’s clear he’d be an incredible improvement defensively. Boston posted a team OAA of -18 in 2024, so they could definitely use his help there.

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It’s also worth noting the other moves that the Red Sox have already made this offseason, such as trading for Garrett Crochet and signing Patrick Sandoval and Walker Buehler to bolster their pitching staff. They’re making progress to establish their competitive window right now and Arenado would boost this exponentially.

It’s very clear that their window of opportunity is the next few seasons so if Arenado can even be league-average offensively for them, it’d be a great trade for Boston.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies find themselves in a similar situation to the Red Sox in terms of their situation at third base. Alec Bohm has proven time and time again that his bat is one of the best at his position, but he’s not one of the best third basemen defensively.

While in 2024 he had his best defensive season to date, Arenado’s defensive prowess is definitely an improvement over almost anyone.

Replacing Bohm and his so-so glove with a perennial Gold Glove winner in Arenado would round out the Phillies’ infield in the most perfect way. An infield of Harper-Stott-Turner-Arenado would certainly be among the league’s best and would greatly aid Philly’s chances in 2025 and beyond.

The only hiccup here is similar to that of the Red Sox – moving Bohm to a DH role would mean Kyle Schwarber would have to play in the outfield, or he could be moved too. This would be far from ideal, but as long as the Phillies would be able to get Schwarber, Bohm, and Arenado’s bats in the lineup, a trade might be just what they need.

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Doesn’t it feel like the Dodgers are in on every star player? Well, it would be no surprise if Arenado waived his no-trade clause to join Blake Snell as a new Dodger if given the opportunity. Coming hot off a World Series victory in 2024, the Dodgers have been looming as large as ever in the offseason and could certainly put together a package to make Arenado one of their own.

Los Angeles’ infield would look a lot more complete with a star third baseman in the mix to go along with Freddie Freeman, potentially Mookie Betts, and veteran Miguel Rojas.

This would complicate the role of Max Muncy position-wise, but it’s not like an excess of starpower has ever been a problem for the Dodgers before.

They’ve proven time and time again that they’re willing to break the bank as much as necessary to put together the best team in the league and Arenado would be nothing short of the cherry on top for their quest at repeating as champs.

New York Mets

Similarly to the Dodgers, the Mets have had an incredibly active offseason, including signing the generational talent of Juan Soto to a $765M deal spanning 15 years. As of this point in the offseason, the Mets’ starting third baseman is Brett Baty, unless they opt to put Mark Vientos’ -7 OAA at the hot corner.

The Mets have been sniffing playoff success consistently over the last few seasons and they’ve been far from shy in their spending habits thanks to owner Steve Cohen. Arenado’s contract wouldn’t be much of a problem for the Mets and their farm system is incredibly strong if they want to exchange prospects.

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Boasting 5 players in MLB’s Top 100 Prospect Rankings for 2024, the Mets could certainly make a more than competitive offer to the Cardinals for Arenado’s services, not that it’d take a ton of prospect capital to move the needle.

Adding a veteran presence like Arenado’s could also be beneficial to the Mets’ young lineup. Young budding stars like Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez could find help in the 12-year MLB vet’s wisdom and advice. Vientos would move across the diamond to effectively replace Pete Alonso in this scenario.

San Diego Padres

According to MLB.com’s John Denton, Arenado has the Padres on his ‘wish list‘ of trade destinations. San Diego has fostered a fun and certainly intriguing playing environment over recent seasons, so it’s no surprise that a grizzled vet like Arenado wants to join that group.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and 2024 rookie standout Jackson Merrill are just a few of the talented names riddled throughout the Padres’ lineup, and adding Arenado’s name to this bunch would put the Padres over the top.

Arenado’s defense doesn’t bring as much to the table for the Padres as it does for other teams, however, as they already have former Platinum Glove winner Manny Machado at third base. Fortunately, Arenado has made it clear that he’d be open to moving to first base if an acquiring team needed that from him.

Having two star third baseman on one team isn’t that bad of a problem to have, though, so the Friars would likely accept a deal for Nolan with grace.

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