Cardinals Could Ship Star Third Baseman To Padres In Potential Blockbuster

The Cardinals could make a deal with the Padres.

May 24, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Diego Padres hats in the dugout during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to do things a little bit differently this offseason. Not once in John Mozeliak's tenure as head of baseball operations have the Cardinals considered a rebuild, but that is the direction they will likely take.

One player that could be traded away is third baseman Nolan Arenado, who has reportedly expressed an openness to shift to first base, which could ignite his market.

Josh Jacobs of FanSided proposed an interesting idea, that Arenado could end up being a fit for the San Diego Padres, even with Manny Machado already at third base.

"The Padres have more financial concerns than they used to due to their own RSN issues, and they already have a lot of big contracts on their books. The potential appeal with Arenado though would be that the Padres could send better prospects to the Cardinals in order to get them to pay down his contract further, and that would make his salary more manageable for the club long-term," Jacobs wrote.

"If the Padres added Arenado, they'd boast a lineup of Arenado, Machado, Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts. That mix of power, on-base skills, contact, and speed, with both right-handed and left-handed bats, would create a dynamic lineup that could push them past the Dodgers or other National League powerhouses in 2025."

The Cardinals would essentially be punting on 2025 with a move such as this, but they could shift Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, or even Thomas Saggese to third base to replace Arenado.

More MLB: Cardinals To 'Field Interest' In Trade For $44M Starter, Per Insider