Nolan Arenado Trade Leaves the Angels in a Tough Spot

Anaheim was a long rumored destination for Arenado but will need to look elsewhere.

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) throws to first base for an out against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

There is no more obvious of a hole in the Angels lineup than at third base. Coming into this off season every publication and pundit expected the Angels to address the hot corner in one way or another. Orange County native Nolan Arenado was a frequent name mentioned in trade rumors but he has instead gone to Arizona.

While no longer the all around All Star performer he was in his prime, Arenado is still an elite defender but his bat has quieted in recent years. Using FanGraphs wRC+ which includes baserunning, Arenado has declined from being 49% better than MLB average to 16% worse from 2021 through next season.

Even a wRC+ of 84 would be a decent addition to a really weak Angels third base group. Currently, Denzer Guzman likely sits atop the depth chart with Oswald Peraza and Vaughn Grissom behind him. That group is big on prospect potential but none of them are established MLB players.

So where to the Angels turn now?

That is an interesting question. While Arenado was never a perfect fit between his age and declining production he would have at least help address one significant need on the team: defense. The Angels defense rated third in all of baseball last season and adding Arenado's glove behind sinkerballers like Jose Soriano and Jack Kochanowicz could have been quite useful.

Eugenio Suarez is now by far the highest profile possibility. He's also going to be by far the most expensive option at a time when the Angels payroll is declining significantly. The opposite of Arenado, Suarez's bat is thunderous and coming off a massive 49 home run campaign. Even if/when he regresses to his career norms, that is still offense a good 12% above average with 32 bombs and a low OBP.

Yoan Moncada might not be a sexy name but he is quite practical. Signed to a very reasonable 1 year $5 million deal last off season, he provided the Angels with a wRC+ of 117 in the 84 games he played. Moncada will assuredly spend some time on the IL but likely represents the best bargain on the free agent market.

Kyren Paris spent the off season playing winter ball in Mexico and showing a lot more patience at the plate.

Paris overall athleticism could make him a good third baseman. His lateral movement and reflexes are elite and his arm strength should be sufficient. The 23 year old started the 2025 MLB season on a tear but a complete lack of contact sent him down to AAA to work on his swing. He still struck out too often in Mexico, but he walked nearly as often.

Overall the Angels largest failure to fix third base is likely bypassing the trio of Asian third base free agents. Song Sung-Um signed a very reasonable, very below market 4 year deal with San Diego for only $16 million. Arenado was a fallback option that is no longer there, meaning the pickings are even slimmer and the season opener is getting closer.