Cardinals $260M Slugger Deemed 'Most Likely' Trade Chip

The St. Louis Cardinals have a big decision right in front of them...

Mar 20, 2018; Jupiter, FL, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat with sunglasses sits on a glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Chaim Bloom has a lot of work ahead of him right away as the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations.

Things are a bit quiet right now with the playoffs still going on across baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers will represent the National League in the World Series and either the Toronto Blue Jays or the Seattle Mariners will join them from the American League. The World Series will begin on Friday, Oct. 24th. When it wraps up, then we will start to see moves pop up across the league.

For St. Louis, this is an especially important offseason. It's Bloom's first one leading the show for St. Louis, so it will set the tone. There's a lot of uncertainty, but the one guy who seems most likely to move is Nolan Arenado. He's been the guy talked about the most and unsurprisingly, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller projected a trade involving him to be the team's "most likely" offseason move.

"St. Louis Cardinals: A Trade of Nolan Arenado," Miller said. "Contract: $16M in 2026, $15M in 2027 (plus $6M deferred from each season). Between Arenado, Sonny Gray ($35M in 2026, $30M club option for 2027) and Willson Contreras ($18M in 2026, $18.5M in 2027, $17.5M club option for 2028), the Cardinals could rid themselves of well north of $100M worth of contracts on the trio of veterans.

The Cardinals have a clear trade chip in Nolan Arenado

Sep 21, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) salutes the fans after he was ceremonially removed before the start of the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"However, between positional need and the fact that they were reportedly very close to trading him away last winter, the 10-time Gold Glove third baseman seems likeliest to be dealt. Arizona, the Angels and the Athletics would all be interested."

With all of the chatter around him over the last year, a deal wouldn't just trim salary while hypothetically giving an aging veteran a chance to contend next year -- depending on where he would get moved. It would also rid the team of a lot of the trade buzz that has surrounded the team over the last year or so. This team seems to be nearing a rebuild. Quieting the noise, trimming salary, and opening up playing spots for the young guys are all important.

Arenado signed an eight-year, $260 million deal that now has just two years left on it. Even getting rid of some of that money would open things up a for Bloom and Co. while making third available for someone like Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, JJ Wetherholt, Thomas Saggese, or another. It just makes too much sense at this point.

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