Cardinals' Nolan Arenado Could Be Traded To NL West Rival Looking To Dethrone Dodgers

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The St. Louis Cardinals are actively shopping eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado's contract as the front office looks to help their beloved infielder sign with a genuine postseason contender.
Unfortunately, Arenado's window to win a championship with the Cardinals is nearly shut. Father time is relentless, so the five-time Silver Slugger needs to find a way out of St. Louis if he ever hopes to add World Series champion to his Hall of Fame resume.
Finding a trade partner for Arenado could be tricky but with rumors heating up, perhaps a suitor will emerge, such as a National League West rival looking to claim the division throne from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I also look at a team like the (San Diego) Padres if they were to move Luis Arráez, which I would describe as a little less likely," MLB Network's Jon Morosi stated Tuesday morning on Hot Stove when addressing potential suitors for Arenado.
Latest on the trade market for Nolan Arenado?@jonmorosi mentions a few teams with reported interest in trading for the 8x All-Star. pic.twitter.com/tprFjn3FJp
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 3, 2024
Although Arenado grew up a Dodgers fan and would love to join his childhood favorite team, Los Angeles likely has no business adding the $74 million remaining on the 10-time Gold Glove defender's contract, which contains a no-trade clause through 2027.
Joining the Padres would bring Arenado back to his home state of California while placing him with a competitive and young big-league roster. San Diego fell one win short of reaching the NL Championship Series this year and should return with a vengeance in 2025.
The most important thing for Arenado is that he's traded to a team capable of winning a World Series and the Padres are certainly in an excellent position to do so.
More MLB: Cardinals' Nolan Arenado May Have Hinted Where He Wants To Be Traded This Winter

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu