Cardinals-Angels 2-For-2 Trade Pitch Centered On Nolan Arenado

The St. Louis Cardinals are trending in the right direction right now.

St. Louis traded Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras away and brought back a handful of starting pitching options in the process. For Gray, the Cardinals got Richard Fitts and Boston's then-No. 5 prospect Brandon Clarke. For Contreras, the Cardinals got Hunter Dobbins and two pitching prospects. In the process, the Cardinals landed five hurlers, opened up a spot in the rotation for a younger guy, and opened a spot at first base likely for Alec Burleson.

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As the Cardinals build towards the future, the most important next step will be opening more spots for younger guys and it should start with third base. Nolan Arenado is one of the best third basemen in MLB history. He's an eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and has been a great member of the organization.

He's been the subject of rumors for a year at this point and the club should do everything possible to get a deal done to open up third base -- for either JJ Wetherholt, Nolan Gorman, or Thomas Saggese -- and try to include as little money as possible in a hypothetical swap. Arenado has two years left on his deal. When the Cardinals traded Gray, they included $20 million in the swap. They included $8 million in the Contreras deal. One way to lower the cost of an Arenado deal would be including an asset attached to him. That should be someone like JoJo Romero. He's another trade candidate for the organization and is coming off a season in which he logged a 2.07 ERA in 65 appearances.

With that being said, let's try our hands at a mock trade involving Arenado, Romero, and the Los Angeles Angels.

Cardinals-Angels Nolan Arenado Mock Trade

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) runs home after his solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Cardinals Receive: LHP Johnny Slawinski (Angels No. 4 prospect), OF Randy De Jesus (Angels No. 27 prospect)

Angels Receive: INF Nolan Arenado, LHP JoJo Romero, $10 million

Explanation

In this scenario, the Cardinals continue to load up on pitching. Slawinski is 18 years old and was a third-round pick by the Angels in 2025. He hasn't made his professional debut as of writing. The Cardinals would receive a pitching prospect and a project outfielder. The Angels would receive a star in Arenado, who they pursued last offseason, for two seasons, a high-leverage reliever, and some cash to make the deal easier to stomach. The Angels are surprisingly loaded with pitching prospects. Seven of the team's top 10 prospects are hurlers.

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