Nolan Arenado Open To Position Split For Cardinals Trade: Report

The St. Louis Cardinals are surely operating differently than they did last offseason.

Last offseason, rumors were flying all over the place, but St. Louis didn't end up shaking anything up. Now, the biggest reason for that was the team's no-trade clauses. Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Miles Mikolas all had no-trade clauses. Gray, Contreras, and Mikolas all made it known they didn't want to leave. Arenado was willing to, but reportedly had a list of just five locations he'd approve a deal to. All in all, a difficult scenario.

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This offseason, the Cardinals have been willing to eat money in swaps to get deals over the finish line with favorable teams. Gray and Contreras both waived their no-trade clauses to go to the Boston Red Sox. Mikolas is a free agent and is out of the organization. Arenado is the final guy with a no-trade clause that still could be moved.

The Cardinals have at least one more big move to make

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

If the Cardinals include money in a swap as they did with Gray and Contreras, it should make things a bit easier. Another thing that could help is the fact that The Athletic's Katie Woo and Will Sammon reported that he's willing to split time at third base and first base to make a deal work.

"There will be teams willing to take Arenado if a majority of his contract is paid down," Woo and Sammon wrote. "Arenado has roughly $40 million remaining over the final two years of his deal. Similar to last offseason, it’s believed he’s also willing to split time between third and first base to free up position flexibility if needed. But many other factors, including player preference and timing, will need to come into play. Right now, all Arenado and the Cardinals can do is wait."

Now, it's just a matter of finding the right spot. Towards the end of the season, Arenado indicated that he would be more willing to waive his no-trade clause. St. Louis has indicated that it's willing to include cash in deals. And, Arenado will play multiple positions. Woo and Sammon indicated that the Los Angeles Angels are a team that has interest in a swap and the club restructured Anthony Rendon's contract on Tuesday to end his tenure with the organization. Could they be the solution?

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