Inside The Cardinals

Here's Why Cardinals Exec Was Afraid To Trade Nolan Arenado This Offseason

St. Louis is taking a risk by shopping the fan favorite
Nate Hagerty|
Feb 12, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak takes questions from the media on the day pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Jupiter, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Feb 12, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak takes questions from the media on the day pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Jupiter, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is nearing the end of his underwhelming final offseason as head honcho.

Despite promising fans that the Cardinals would offload talent via trades this winter as the club looks to reset, Mozeliak has yet to move anyone -- including top priority third baseman Nolan Arenado.

Although Mozeliak hasn't stopped searching for an Arenado trade destination, there have been concerns that the Cardinals shouldn't move on from the five-time Silver Slugger just yet.

"Mozeliak said throughout trade talks with other teams, he was concerned about missing out on a strong bounce-back season from Arenado, who saw his home run total dip to 16 last year," MLB.com's John Denton wrote Friday. "The slugger spent major chunks of his winter working in MMA programs, in yoga sessions and with weight-training in hopes of returning his quick-twitch swing that allowed him to jump on fastballs."

Arenado endured his worst offensive campaign in 2024, which has made finding a trade partner challenging. If the eight-time All-Star has any hopes of leaving St. Louis in the near future, he must prove to potential suitors that he's still capable of competing at a high level.

“'I would not bet against him; I’d bet on him,' Mozeliak said of Arenado," Denton continued. “'And I was afraid someone else was going to get that if we traded him. He’s a special player, and he can still do things that many can’t.'”

After logging 2.4 and 2.5 WAR (a stat that measures how many more wins a player is worth than a replacement player) in the two previous seasons, which is considered league average, Arenado must feel the pressure to bounce back in 2025.

It's looking like Arenado won't be moved this offseason but perhaps if he has an impressive first half of the season, St. Louis will look to deal him to a top contender at the trade deadline. A transaction being completed before Opening Day can't be ruled out either.

More MLB: Cardinals Might Demote Rising Star To Minor Leagues If Nolan Arenado Isn't Traded

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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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