Inside The Cardinals

Pair Of Surprise AL Contenders 'Make Sense' For Cardinals Superstar Nolan Arenado

St. Louis might have to expand its list of potential suitors
Nate Hagerty|
Aug 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after hitting a double against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Aug 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after hitting a double 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 CardinalsToronto Blue JaysSeattle Mariners

The St. Louis Cardinals are poised to have superstar Nolan Arenado as their Opening Day third baseman but that doesn't mean a deal can't happen beforehand.

On Wednesday, the Cardinals missed a perfect opportunity to trade Arenado after former Houston Astros slugger Alex Bregman landed a three-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, who were considering the St. Louis 10-time Gold Glove defender.

Perhaps one of two surprise American League contenders could emerge as suitors for Arenado. Would he be willing to expand his list of teams he'd accept a trade to?

"Now Bregman has landed in Arenado’s preferred destination, in Boston," The Athletic's Jayson Stark wrote Friday morning. "Aaaanddd  Bregman took all winter to choose a team, taking other options off the board. So where is Arenado going now? Unless somebody gets hurt this spring, that would almost certainly be right back to St. Louis. The teams that make sense — Toronto (Blue Jays) and Seattle (Mariners) — are clubs he’d be unlikely to approve a trade to join. And the places he’d like to go don’t seem to think they need him, at least not after the worst season of his career."

The Mariners and Blue Jays could use an extra right-handed bat in their lineups. However, neither club has a hitter-friendly park, with the former having the league's most challenging stadium to hit a home run out of.

Considering Arenado is looking to revive his career after a weak 2024 offensive campaign, it seems doubtful that he'd agree to be traded to a team that not only has a non-friendly hitter's ballpark but also doesn't have the strongest playoff history.

Arenado's greatest desire is to be traded to a team that has a legitimate chance at competing for a World Series title. The Blue Jays haven't reached past an AL Wild Card Series since 2016 and the Mariners have one playoff appearance since losing in the AL Championship series against the New York Yankees in 2001.

With the way this offseason has progressed for Arenado's trade saga, it's looking more like he'll be the Cardinals Opening Day starting 3B -- unless something drastic changes his circumstance.

More MLB: Cardinals-Yankees Blockbuster 'Not Realistic' Despite Rumors, Per Top MLB Insider

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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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