Why The Cardinals May Be Stuck With Their $260 Million, 8-Time All-Star

The clock may be ticking.

Sep 11, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of the 9/11 ribbon on a St. Louis Cardinals hat in the dugout before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The 2026 season is going to bring a lot of questions for the St. Louis Cardinals. They are set to continue their rebuild under Chaim Bloom, which means more trades are likely to come.

With Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras now both gone, the top remaining trade chips are Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero, but their main priority is to trade Nolan Arenado.

While the Los Angeles Angels have interest and could be a decent fit for the eight-time All-Star, it’s still going to be hard for St. Louis to actually move Arenado, and as such, they may be forced to hold onto him for at least 2026.

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Cardinals May Be Stuck With Nolan Arenado

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a three run double against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Arenado had one of the worst seasons of his career offensively in 2025, hitting just .237 with 12 home runs and a .666 OPS while also missing over a month with an injury. He was almost traded to the Houston Astros last offseason, but he chose to block the deal with his no-trade clause.

That may have been his best chance to play for a contender and get out of St. Louis. He wants to play for a contending team in the future. The Angels could take him off the Cardinals’ hands, but they aren’t a contender, so that makes things difficult.

Given his struggles over the past two seasons, it’s possible that no contending team is going to want him. The main focus right now as far as third basemen is on free agents like Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez.

Unless Arenado has a bounce-back season in 2026, then it’s hard to imagine any contending teams being interested in him in the future. As of now, he isn’t even the top third baseman available.

Even if the Cardinals eat a lot of money on his contract, they still don’t have a lot of options as far as where to send him. The best chance to trade him came last offseason. 

The Astros are no longer a possibility, and the Boston Red Sox will be focused more on Bregman. A move to first base could help his cause, but his defense at third base remains elite.

But for now, it’s looking like the Cardinals are going to be stuck with Arenado for 2026.

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