What Comes Next Cardinals After Nolan Arenado Trade?

The Cardinals finally got it done.

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 finally got it done. On Tuesday, it was announced that they sent third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-hander Jack Martinez and also took on most of Arenado’s remaining money.

Now, the Cardinals finally have a spot cleared for top prospect JJ Wetherholt at third base. But that likely won’t be the last trade the Cardinals make in the next few weeks. Spring training is approaching and they still have two trade chips.

But it should be interesting to see what their next steps are following the Arenado deal and who could be on the move.

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What Are Cardinals Next Steps?

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrates his double against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The obvious educated guess is that the Cardinals will now focus on Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero, their other two trade chips. Jeff Passan reported that the San Francisco Giants have begun to pursue Donovan more aggressively. The Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox are other options for the 2025 All-Star.

The Cardinals are now in a better position to free up some roster space for younger players, and with the Giants ramping up their pursuit of Donovan, it may only be a matter of time before a deal happens.

They can get a lot for Donovan in a trade and will likely be looking to acquire more young and controllable starting pitching. The Giants, Mariners and Red Sox all have solid options in that department.

But that is likely their next step. With Alex Bregman off the board, a spot opened up for Arenado to be traded, and it also gives a little more clarity to Donovan’s market.

Aside from trades, Chaim Bloom has also said that he wants to add more relief pitching to the roster, so fans shouldn’t be surprised if St. Louis dives back into the free agent market for a little 

more help on the pitching side, especially if Romero ends up being traded.

Things are about to get interesting for the Cardinals as they continue their rebuild and keep their focus on the future rather than making moves for the short-term.

Donovan and Romero can get them exactly what they’re looking for if they decide to trade them both. The ball is now rolling thanks to the Arenado trade.

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