St. Louis Cardinals Give Nolan Arenado Permission to Facilitate Potential Trade

The St. Louis Cardinals have given Nolan Arenado and his agent permission to speak directly to other teams as they try to facilitate a trade, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday afternoon.

Arenado, 33, has a full no-trade clause, so he and his representatives would have to be on board with any deal the Cardinals may want to accept. The veteran third baseman is owed $27 million in 2025, $22 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027 – excluding the $10 million that the Colorado Rockies will pay him over the next two seasons.

That contract, as well as Arenado's questionable fit on a rebuilding roster, have spurred St. Louis to start pursuing a trade that would send the eight-time All-Star elsewhere. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed as much at the Winter Meetings on Monday, saying it is his "intention to try" to trade Arenado.

Arenado and his agent, Joel Wolfe, will now have free rein to find a new home. And according to Nightengale, Wolfe said the list of options is "bigger than you would expect."

The St. Louis Cardinals have given permission for Nolan Arenado's agent, Joel Wolfe, to speak directly to teams to help facilitate a trade. Arenado has a full-no trade clause is willing to go to several teams with a list "that's bigger than you would think,'' Wolfe says
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 10, 2024

Among the teams that have been tied to Arenado in recent weeks are the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays.

In the case of the Dodgers, they could send veteran Chris Taylor and his effective $17 million salary back to the Cardinals, rather than having St. Louis eat Arenado's contract outright. The Red Sox could offer a similar return in the form of outfielder Masataka Yoshida and the $18.6 million he is due over the next three years.

Arenado hit .272 with 16 home runs, 71 RBI, a .719 OPS and a 2.5 WAR across 152 games in 2024. The five-time Silver Slugger and 10-time Gold Glove winner hit .291 with a .905 OPS between 2015 and 2022, averaging 39 home runs, 122 RBI and a 6.5 WAR per 162 games, so he isn't all that far removed from being one of baseball's most dangerous players.

With the entire league congregating in Houston this week, perhaps Arenado and the Cardinals can find a trade partner sooner rather than later. With Juan Soto and Willy Adames offer the board and Alex Bregman holding out for a $200 million contract, the climate is right for an Arenado deal to come together in short order.

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