Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Reveal Expected Nolan Arenado Trade Decision

Will the Cardinals trade Nolan Arenado?
Zach Pressnell|
Jul 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) gets ready to field the ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Jul 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) gets ready to field the ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly been shopping veteran infielder Nolan Arenado for a few months now, but no deal has come to fruition.

Arenado is on a monster contract with a lot of money still left to be paid out. He also has a no-trade clause and has notoriously axed a few trades to teams like the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels.

Still, rumors have swirled over the last few weeks as to whether the Cardinals would land a deal to ship the veteran away this year.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale recently reported the Cardinals would hold onto Arenado this season because no teams were showing strong enough interest over the course of the regular season.

"The Cardinals are planning on keeping third baseman Nolan Arenado through the deadline with no teams showing strong interest in him since he rejected potential deals to the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels," Nightengale wrote.

Holding onto Arenado seems like the obvious outcome for the Cardinals. There's simply little to no market for the former Gold Glove infielder.

Not only does he have a no-trade clause that's stopped him from being traded on multiple occasions, but he's also struggling this year at the plate. Instead of being a game-changing bat, the veteran has provided league average offense, which isn't enough for a player making as much money as he is.

The reality of the situation is the Cardinals will be forced to hold onto Arenado until the offseason at the very earliest. In a dream world, he can finish the season strong and create a market for himself in the offseason, but there's a good chance his play continues to diminish, and the Cardinals will be forced to hold him through the rest of his monster contract.

More MLB: Nolan Arenado To Yankees? Why Latest Cardinals Trade Rumors Are Ludicrous

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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