Cardinals-Phillies Trade Speculation For Star Heating Up Again

The Phillies could be one of the top landing spots for Cardinals star Nolan Arenado this winter...

May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are entering a rebuild and they're expected to swing a trade or two during this offseason to help push this rebuild along.

One of the players the Cardinals have reportedly been attempting to trade for months is veteran Nolan Arenado. St. Louis could aggressively push for an Arenado trade during this offseason.

Scott Plaza od Redbird Rants recently suggested the Philadelphia Phillies could emerge as a landing spot for Arenado again. The Phillies were seemingly one of the top landing spots for the last year.

Phillies could make sense as a Nolan Arenado trade landing spot

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

"As things now stand, Arenado has two years remaining on his deal with an average salary of about $15 million," Plaza wrote. "With his track record prior to 2024, this would be a steal for a player of his caliber, but his all-around level of play has declined to the point where even that figure is an overpay. Arenado did get his defense back above-average, so he could still pick it at third for a team in need of a bounce-back candidate who will not hurt the team on the field.

"A candidate for this would be the Philadelphia Phillies, who are in an interesting spot as a franchise as they have been extremely competitive but are aging with a lot of money tied into their current players. The Phillies currently have 29-year-old Alec Bohm as their everyday third baseman, but it seems like patience has been running thin with him, as his power has not developed to expectations, and his defense at third has been porous."

The Phillies make a lot of sense as a landing spot for Arenado.

Philadelphia could afford some roster shake up, especially if it loses Kyle Schwarber in free agency. Adding Arenado would give them a solid veteran with the potential to turn back into the player he was a few seasons ago. At the very worst, Arenado could work as a defensive substitute.

At the end of the day, this kind of idea is always going to come down to the money. The Cardinals seemingly don't want to eat too much of his contract, which means they might need to attach a prospect to the veteran in order to dump him off.

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