Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Unlikely To Complete Deal With Nolan Arenado's Dream Trade Target

The St. Louis fan favorite might have to look elsewhere for a deal
Nate Hagerty|
Jun 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) looks on during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Jun 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) looks on during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsLos Angeles Dodgers

The St. Louis Cardinals worked tirelessly last offseason to find a trade partner for superstar Nolan Arenado and sadly, it seems not much has changed.

Although Arenado is arguably the Cardinals' fan base's current favorite player, his offensive regression and expensive contract are putting St. Louis in a bit of a chokehold -- trading him would help the franchise move forward with its rebuilding journey.

Navigating Arenado's full no-trade clause has complicated the Cardinals' efforts in finding a new home for the gifted third baseman. For instance, Nado's ideal landing spot seems uninterested in pursuing a transaction for him this summer.

"Trade proposal: (Los Angeles) Dodgers trade Bobby Miller or James Outman to the Cardinals for Nolan Arenado — Eric L," a subscriber suggested to The Athletic's Jim Bowden last Wednesday. Bowden followed up by saying, "The Dodgers say no because they’re not taking on Arenado’s contract at this point in his career and they’re happy with Max Muncy, who is on the injured list but expected to return from his bone bruise well before the end of the regular season."

Arenado, a southern California native, revealed in a cryptic Instagram post over the offseason that the Dodgers, his childhood favorite team, is where he wanted to be traded to while the Cardinals were actively searching for his next home.

Unfortunately for Arenado, he's batting .246 with 24 extra-base hits including 10 home runs, 42 RBIs and a .693 OPS in 84 games played for St. Louis this season and hasn't been a dominant hitter since 2023.

The five-time Silver Slugger's lackluster offensive productivity likely won't be enough to convince the Dodgers to take on the remaining 2 1/2 years of his contract, which amounts to roughly $40 million.

Muncy is comparably having a better season than Arenado -- batting .250 with 25 extra-base hits including 13 home runs, 55 RBIs and a .832 OPS in 81 games played for Los Angeles in 2025.

It wouldn't make sense for the Dodgers to give up on Muncy, who has an economical $10 million club option for 2026, in exchange for Arenado. Considering how mediocre the eight-time All-Star has played this season, it wouldn't be shocking to see him end the year in a Cardinals uniform.

More MLB: Cardinals 'Believed To Be Shopping' Veteran Hurler Ahead Of Trade Deadline

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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 

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