Cardinals' Nolan Arenado Projected As Fit For Surprise NL Contender

Where will Arenado go this offseason?

Sep 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits an RBI single off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp (65) during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

There has been so much chatter about St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado this offseason that it still seems like it would be surprising if he were to come back.

Sure, his no-trade clause and big contract complicate things. But, there's still roughly a month to go until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. Once the Alex Bregman and Rōki Sasaki sweepstakes both end in free agency, we should hear more about Arenado.

Rumors have started to heat up about him, but the league seems to be in a holding pattern right now with Bregman and Sasaki the biggest remaining free agents. Their eventual deals should leave teams who lost out looking for a boost. Arenado can be that guy.

Just Baseball's Ethan Hyatt hypothesized a list of five potential landing spots for Arenado and had the San Diego Padres as a fit.

"According to MLB.com’s John Denton, Arenado has the Padres on his ‘wish list‘ of trade destinations," Hyatt said. "San Diego has fostered a fun and certainly intriguing playing environment over recent seasons, so it’s no surprise that a grizzled vet like Arenado wants to join that group. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and 2024 rookie standout Jackson Merrill are just a few of the talented names riddled throughout the Padres’ lineup, and adding Arenado’s name to this bunch would put the Padres over the top.

"Arenado’s defense doesn’t bring as much to the table for the Padres as it does for other teams, however, as they already have former Platinum Glove winner Manny Machado at third base. Fortunately, Arenado has made it clear that he’d be open to moving to first base if an acquiring team needed that from him. Having two star third basemen on one team isn’t that bad of a problem to have, though, so the Friars would likely accept a deal for Nolan with grace."

Landing in San Diego would allow Arenado an opportunity to play for a contender closer to home. But, the Padres have plenty of financial issues themselves so it would be a little surprising to see them add another expensive star. Especially when the infield already is loaded.

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