Cardinals Facing Backlash; $260 Million Deal Looks Worse Than Ever

The Cardinals made a huge mistake taking on a mega-contract...

Sep 21, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) salutes the fans after he was ceremonially removed before the start of the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have made a lot of bad decisions that have led them to the point they're at right now. The Cardinals are on the edge of a rebuild, with potential trades involving players like Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras coming in the near future.

The Cardinals need to clean up their payroll in a big way, which might be the first order of business for Chaim Bloom as he takes over as president of baseball operations.

Stephen Parello of Redbird Rants recently called Arenado's contract one of the worst valued contracts in the National League Central. The team's decision to take on the deal has completely backfired.

Cardinals' decision to take on Nolan Arenado's contract is backfiring

Sep 22, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) chats with St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) during the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

"Here's the one everyone expected. Nolan Arenado's deal is the only one on the list to exceed $200 million in total value," Parello wrote. "There were risks when St. Louis took on this contract, chief among them how his bat would perform outside of the thin air of Colorado, but the start was good.

"Unfortunately, chronic back issues combined with other maladies would sap his power in recent years, but up until 2025, he was still a solid player thanks to sterling defense and solid contact skills. With this season winding down to a close, it looks as though even that is behind him now, as Father Time takes hold."

At the time, taking on Arenado's contract didn't seem like the worst idea. He was one of the best infielders in baseball and had dominated with the Colorado Rockies. For a few years, the contract looked like a steal. 2022 was one of Arenado's best seasons in his career.

But as is the case with most of the mega-contracts, the player is going to get old and fall off. At that point, the team is still on the hook to pay him the rest of his $260 million deal.

Not only is this an issue for the Cardinals' pockets, but it's killed his trade value, too.

Arenado has been mentioned as a trade piece for months, but no team in baseball seems willing to take on his contract.

This deal has aged as one of the worst contracts in the sport and the Cardinals are stuck with it for now.

More MLB: Dodgers-Cardinals At Center Of Trade Buzz For $260 Million All-Star