The Case Against Cardinals Trading 8x All-Star This Offseason

The Cardinals are expected to trade a veteran, but is it really the best idea?

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are about to enter a very important offseason, their first under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.

After finishing 78-84 and missing the postseason for the third straight year, there are going to be some tough decisions on the horizon. Many of those decisions are likely to be centered around potential trades. They have plenty of veterans that could be shipped out.

Third baseman Nolan Arenado is widely expected to be traded this offseason. He has expressed a willingness to expand his list of teams he'll accept a trade to and has stated that he would prefer to play for a contender, which the Cardinals are not. However, a case can also be made for the contrary, that Arenado should be retained.

The Case Against Trading Nolan Arenado

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

Despite hitting just .237/.289/.377 with 12 home runs, 52 RBI and a .666 OPS this year, the 34-year-old is still an elite defensive third baseman, and even though the Cardinals aren't expected to contend, losing that presence defensively could have massive negative effects on the infield.

Arenado is also a strong leader in the clubhouse, and it can't hurt to have a guiding hand present for some of the Cardinals younger players. JJ Wetherholt, Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, Thomas Saggese and Ivan Herrera can all benefit from having him around to guide them forward in their Major League careers.

He still does bring some value to the table, so it's important for St. Louis not to completely lose sight of that. However, the reasons they do want to trade him could ultimately backfire on them.

Going back to his offensive stats from 2025, which obviously are not great, the Cardinals are going to have a hard time trading him for that reason. Unless they eat a significant portion, if not the entirety of the remaining money on his contract, teams likely won't show much interest in him, and that doesn't bode well for St. Louis.

One of the main reasons they wanted to trade him last offseason was to shed some payroll, and while it makes sense to do that, the Cardinals are going to have a difficult time finding a taker for the eight-time All-Star.

That's not to say they shouldn't try, but it might end up being more trouble than it's worth. They may face a similar situation to last offseason, where no teams were willing to take him off their hands. Given his rough season, that may be the situation yet again.

There are certainly reasons to trade him, but there is also a case to keep him around, because of the value he provides, but also the fact that finding a suitor will be difficult, even with that remaining value.

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