Cardinals Trade Buzz Heating Up; Star 'Widely Expected' To Be Moved

The Cardinals could look to move on from a few of their star veterans in the offseason...

Jun 27, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) and his teammates celebrate a win against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are headed for a rebuild this offseason and they have a few big moves they could make to kickstart it in a big way. But most of the Cardinals' big trade chips have no-trade clauses in their contracts.

Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras are likely the Cardinals' top trade candidates this winter, but all three have no-trade clauses that have made them practically impossible to move in the past. Still, the Cardinals could look to make a few big moves this year, potentially trading one or two of these veteran stars.

ESPN's Jeff Passan was recently asked about the biggest names who could be traded ahead of the trade deadline. Passan revealed that Gray could be moved. He also revealed that it's widely expected that Arenado is moved in the coming months.

Cardinals "widely expected" to move Nolan Arenado this winter

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

"Everyone wants Tarik Skubal, the soon-to-be two-time American League Cy Young winner, but as of now, the industry expects Detroit to hold onto him, even with his free agency approaching after the 2026 season," Passan wrote. "Another arm with questions as to whether he'll go: Milwaukee right-hander Freddy Peralta, who at $8 million is cheap and will hit free agency next winter. Most of the bigger names that will draw interest are pitchers: Minnesota right-handers Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, Washington left-hander MacKenzie Gore, St. Louis right-hander Sonny Gray.

"Boston could be active in moving one of its outfielders, either Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu. One player widely expected to be moved: St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado, who is willing to waive his no-trade clause."

Given the fact that Arenado is willing to waive his no-trade clause now, it should be seen as an almost 100 percent chance that he's traded this offseason. If there's a team willing to take him from the Cardinals, St. Louis will likely make the deal.

Gray seems a bit more hesitant to waive his no-trade clause, but the Cardinals could still find a way to make a deal happen, especially if Gray opens the market up a bit.

Either way, the Cardinals could be at the center of a lot of offseason buzz this winter.

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