The St. Louis Cardinals have become one of the most intriguing teams to watch as the trade deadline approaches. They appear to be wavering between buying and selling, and Nolan Arenado’s name has come up frequently as a potential trade piece.
Given Arenado’s hefty contract, which includes a no-trade clause, a trade has seemed unlikely. However, the Cardinals haven’t ruled out the possibility and have still explored options.
On Sunday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Cardinals intend to keep Arenado on the roster through the deadline and possibly beyond.
“The Cardinals are planning on keeping third baseman Nolan Arenado through the deadline with no teams showing strong interest in him since he rejected potential deals to the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels,” Nightengale wrote.
The decision to keep Arenado might stem from a few key factors.
For one, it’s doubtful that any team would be willing to take on the full weight of his contract. While the Cardinals could look to dump salary, the prospect return on such a deal likely wouldn’t be substantial.
With Arenado aging and struggling this season, his trade value has dropped significantly. Given that he recently blocked trades to both the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels, a deal at this point seems even more unlikely.
The Cardinals could revisit the idea in the offseason, but even then, it’s hard to see a trade happening. Barring a sudden and steep decline in Arenado’s performance, it looks like he’ll finish out his contract with St. Louis unless they decide to part ways in the future.
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