Cardinals $260 Million All-Star Projected To Land With AL Powerhouse

Speculation is running rampant about Arenado right now

Sep 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) and catcher Ivan Herrera (48) celebrate defeating the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Soon enough, the Nolan Arenado speculation will end.

The St. Louis Cardinals surely want to trade him away and there have been rumors and speculation for months now at this point. The Cardinals eight-time All-Star is owed $74 million over the next three years. He landed a $260 million deal over eight years.

Arenado is expensive, has a no-trade clause, and his offensive production was solid in 2024 but not at his typical level. He's the most interesting player clearly on the trade block but things have slowed down across Major League Baseball.

Will he end up being moved before Spring Training? It still seems like the most likely option. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter made a list of the top 10 projected landing spots for him and had the Boston Red Sox at the top.

"Earlier this week, Katie Woo of The Athletic wrote:'"Multiple league sources indicate the Red Sox represent Arenado's last chance to get dealt before the 2025 season,'" Reuter said. "That may be the case right now, but the ever-changing nature of the offseason market means things could still change once more free-agency dominos fall. However, it's still reason enough to pencil Boston in at No. 1 here.

"The Red Sox would need to sell Rafael Devers on shifting to designated hitter, or revisit the idea of trading Triston Casas for starting pitching help so they can shift him across the diamond to first base. It still feels like the Red Sox are one big move away from being finished with their offseason."

Boston keeps being linked to Arenado. Maybe a deal actually could happen. The Cardinals and Red Sox came to terms on a trade last offseason with Tyler O'Neill going to Boston. Maybe, Arenado could follow a similar path.

More MLB: Yankees Eyeing Ex-Cardinals All-Star In Free Agency, Per Insider