Inside The Cardinals

Why Cardinals Can Benefit From Avoiding Nolan Arenado Blockbuster

The Cardinals may have made the right call...
Patrick McAvoy|
Sep 16, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) fields a ground ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) fields a ground ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

After months of rumors, Nolan Arenado is still a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Although that may not have been what the team wanted, maybe it’s for the best. Sure, he’s expensive. But, the Cardinals did trim payroll elsewhere so they should still be pleased with that fact. 

Arenado is a Hall of Fame-level talent who at the very least raised St. Louis’ ceiling. This is John Mozeliak's last season as the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations. Keeping Arenado immediately makes the Cardinals more competitive in the National League Central than they would’ve been. 

The Cardinals have a lot of talent on the roster and took a step forward in 2024 as opposed to the 2023 campaign. Keeping Arenado will give the team more of a chance at a playoff spot. This is a pretty obvious statement, but it is the truth. He got a lot of negative press last year, but he's still a dangerous right-handed slugger and one of the top defensive players in baseball.

If things don’t work out in that direction, the Cardinals could always try to trade him this summer ahead of the trade deadline. At this point, they likely would get more in a trade package this summer as opposed to right now. 

The Cardinals absolutely didn’t have the offseason they expected to have, but that could be for the best. Why not try to make a run in 2025?

More MLB: Cardinals Reveal They Didn't Approach $55 Million Ex-All-Star About Trade

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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