Potential Cardinals-Dodgers Trade Update: Third Base Available For Nolan Arenado

The St. Louis Cardinals are shopping third baseman Nolan Arenado's contract this offseason to eliminate his expensive salary from the payroll.

Given the Cardinals front office's recent commitment to clearing payroll room to invest in their youth movement, Arenado's contract, which has three years and $74 million remaining, makes him a viable trade candidate.

Arenado has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he'll only be dealt somewhere he approves, such as his childhood favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite Max Muncy being the defending World Series champions' third baseman, a spot could be cleared for the St. Louis 10-time Gold Glove defender.

"As long as I get to stay around, I don't care who they bring in," Muncy stated on a Foul Territory podcast on Wednesday when addressing the possibility of being replaced at third base. "I think Andrew (Friedman, the Dodgers' president of baseball operations) and Brandon (Gomes, the team's GM) know my stance on that extremely well. I've never been one that said, 'no I'm not going to play this position, not going to play that position, not going to bat in this spot in the order.' I don't care."

Muncy was a crucial part of the Dodgers' successful 2024 campaign, which saw them hoist the World Series trophy for the eighth time in franchise history. The 34-year-old is signed through next season with a club option in 2026, so it's not as if Los Angeles needs a new third baseman anytime soon.

"As long as you put me out there, I'll play left field, right field, third, first," Muncy continued. "I'll play wherever they want to put me. As long as it means I'm out there on that field, wearing Dodger blue, playing in that stadium, it doesn't matter to me. When you're talking about (Arenado), you're talking about arguably the best defensive third baseman of all-time at this point, if you look at his numbers. I can see why it would be appealing. To me it doesn't matter. ... If it's becoming more of a role player, I don't care, I just want to help the team win."

If Muncy's willing to switch positions to open room at third base for Arenado, that might help open the door for a blockbuster trade between St. Louis and Los Angeles. After all, the six-time Platinum Glove defender grew up as a Dodgers fan in California, so it's tough to imagine a deal falling through if the defending champs want to reel in the Cardinals fan favorite.

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