Cardinals Trade Scenario Sends Nolan Arenado To Surprise AL East Contender

The St. Louis fan favorite is looking for a new home
Sep 15, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after right fielder Lars Nootbaar (not pictured) robbed New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (not pictured) of a home run during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Sep 15, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after right fielder Lars Nootbaar (not pictured) robbed New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (not pictured) of a home run during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are running out of options to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado and might have to start thinking outside the box to get him moved.

Arenado's greatest desire is to be dealt to a genuine World Series competitor. However, the eight-time All-Star's poor performance in 2024 has made finding a trade partner difficult.

The five-time Silver Slugger might want to add more clubs to his list of teams he's willing to waive his full no-trade clause for. Perhaps an American League East contender looking to add a right-handed bat could be a fit.

Mock trade scenario: Baltimore Orioles receive: 3B Nolan Arenado
Cardinals receive: Right-handed pitcher Trace Bright (Orioles' No. 11 top prospect)
Cardinals agree to pay: $5 million annually for the remainder of Arenado's three-year contract

Considering the Cardinals were willing to eat the $15-20 million of Arenado's contract to trade him to the Houston Astros, it only seems fair that they'd do the same if he's moved to Baltimore.

The Orioles have one of the league's most robust farm systems, so there's no shortage of prospect capital for the Cardinals to target in a potential blockbuster for six-time Platinum Glove defender Arenado.

Bright doesn't have the most impressive track record in the minors but he's only 24 years old and likely has plenty more developing to complete before he's ready for the show. With the Cardinals revitalizing their player development system, perhaps the youngster can find a breakthrough in St. Louis.

As for finding room for Arenado on the Orioles' roster -- they have a logjam of third basemen but none of them come close to being as valuable as the Cardinals fan favorite. Offloading some of their excess defenders in trades, which shouldn't be too challenging, could clear space for Nado.

More MLB: AL Central Contender Predicted To Snag Ex-Cardinals All-Star To Boost Rotation


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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

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