Cardinals Expected To Cut Ties With 2 All-Stars When Hot Stove Heats Up

If the St. Louis Cardinals don't trade pieces away this offseason, it would be a pretty big shock at this point.

The offseason is still young, but the vibe is different from last year. John Mozeliak and the Cardinals in general made it clear last offseason that the team wanted to "reset" and trade some pieces away, but they weren't successful in that respect. Months went on and the expensive veterans stayed and the team tried to run it back one more time under Mozeliak.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Now, the Cardinals are in a different place. Even though the offseason is young, the chatter hasn't necessarily been about wanting to make a deal, but the rumors seem to make it sound like a foregone conclusion that moves are coming. For example, ESPN's Jesse Rogers said after the general manager meetings to "expect" that both Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray will be traded.

The Cardinals have been the talk of the trade block

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

"Chaim Bloom, new president of baseball operations, faces similar decisions to what his predecessor John Mozaliek did at this time a year ago: what to do with Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray," Rogers said. "The good news is there is more clarity for the players this time. Arenado is open to being moved and Gray could get there as well. They'll both have to waive their no-trade clauses, but Bloom indicated he and the players are on the same page, so when the return price is right, expect both to be traded."

Last year, the club made it known publicly that they wanted to trade Arenado, but his no-trade clause played a role in shutting that noise down.

Now, the Cardinals have another year of missing the playoffs under their belt and unfortunately all of the signs are pointing to these guys being gone. Chaim Bloom specifically talked about both of them throughout the general manager meetings and also was pretty clear the team is willing to deal.

This is unfortunate because both players were brought in to be solutions for the Cardinals. St. Louis was one of the best teams in the National League for years and Arenado was supposed to be a missing piece. After the team struggled in 2023, Gray was supposed to be a solution to immediately turn the team around. What's unfortunate is that neither of these guys got the chance to really win in St. Louis and it seems like they won't be able to at any point now.

More MLB: Contenders Eyeing Cardinals All-Star, Including Yankees