Trade Pitch Moves Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado to Dodgers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado maintains a consistent presence in the St. Louis Cardinals‘ lineup, but he is not the same player of yesteryear who would launch 30-plus home runs and drive in 100-plus runs each season.
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That, and the Cardinals’ recent string of losses, is why Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer considers Arenado to be a potential trade candidate, even though he has two-and-a-half years left on a nine-year, $275 million deal he signed in 2019, back when he was with the Colorado Rockies.
“St. Louis has regressed to the mean with a 5-10 June, with FanGraphs lowering the club’s playoff odds to just 27.1 percent. And if the losses continue to pile up, there will be no harm in getting a head start on the planned transition,” Rymer wrote. “Arenado is 34 years old and in the third season of a steep offensive decline. But the 10-time Gold Glover can still get it done on defense if nothing else, and he just seems the kind of guy whose bat would be energized by a new environment.”
Recent history indicates that the Cardinals could trade Arenado if the right price is met. He was nearly dealt to the Houston Astros during the offseason, but he exercised his no-trade rights to keep the deal from taking place.
Rymer now envisions a different destination for Arenado: the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team Arenado is familiar with, having competed against them in the NL West over the first eight years of his MLB career.
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium.Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
“Max Muncy would probably beg to differ here, and so might the Dodgers. Ever since Muncy got new glasses, he’s been a different hitter with a 1.025 OPS over 30 games,” Rymer wrote. “The Dodgers nonetheless need to be thinking about upgrading their defense at the hot corner. Though their infield has broken even with zero Outs Above Average overall, third base is deep under water with -8 OAA. That is mostly on Muncy, who is at -7 just on his own.
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“Besides, Arenado joining the Dodgers would allow the rest of us to move on while presumably permitting him to be very happy. The Southern California native has been linked to the Dodgers for what feels like forever, and they would make a nice final stop on what has been a terrific career.”
Through 68 games this season, Arenado is slashing .244/.306/.388 with eight home runs, 36 RBIs, and 1.1 WAR (according to Baseball Reference).
Related: Trade Idea Gives Dodgers Another Arm in Rays Starter
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.