Tigers Baseball Report

'Still a Chance' Tigers Are Option for Cardinals Star Nolan Arenado in Trade

The Detroit Tigers could turn their attention back to Nolan Arenado to address their need at third base.
May 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA;  St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) drives in a run against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium.
May 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) drives in a run against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have a few clear areas of weakness they are looking to address on their roster ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

Amongst them is finding some help at third base, where the team has struggled to find any production consistently throughout the 2025 regular season.

Zach McKinstry has been handling most of the playing time there recently, but that takes away from what his best asset: versatility.

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The Tigers are one of many teams that were connected to Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suarez, but he was dealt to the Seattle Mariners in a late-night deal on Wednesday.

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Now that the Tigers are unable to get a deal done for Suarez, they could turn their attention to another veteran third baseman: Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic, during an appearance on Foul Territory, mentioned that there is still a chance Detroit is a landing spot for the eight-time All-Star.

But there are hurdles for the franchise to get over, mainly the no-trade clause Arenado possesses.

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The Tigers weren't on his approved list before, but could his stance have changed now that Detroit has proven to be one of the best teams in baseball?

As a veteran looking to join a contending team that has a chance to win the World Series, Arenado doesn’t have many better options than the Tigers, who are in first place in the American League Central.

His offensive production has taken another step back in 2025, with an 86 OPS+ and .662 OPS. On a positive note, he doesn’t strike out much and is still squaring the ball up when he makes contact, but his power looks to be gone.

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At the very least, Arenado still provides some value with his glove, but it would be fair to question just how much of an upgrade he would be at this point over what the team already has on the roster and if they would be better off putting resources toward another player.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.


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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.