Nolan Arenado’s time with the St. Louis Cardinals is just about over.
Arenado has two years left on his eight-year, $260 million contract, which included a full no-trade clause, allowing the 34-year-old to decide his next destination if the Cardinals wanted to trade him. Arenado previously rejected a potential trade to the Houston Astros last winter, but with St. Louis heading toward a rebuild, he is open to being moved this offseason.
While speaking to reporters on Tuesday at the GM meetings, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom stated that he thinks it’s best the team finds a different fit for Arenado, as transcribed by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
“His time with the Cardinals has been really good,” Bloom said. “We all feel it’s best to find a different fit. We’ll work on that, and we’ll work on that with him. We’re on the same page with Nolan.
“It’s about building our core to where we can get this organization back to where it needs to be. Taking the necessary steps — not taking shortcuts — to build this organization back to where we can compete for the division and World Series.”
Arenado’s production has steadily gone down over the past two seasons with the Cardinals. The eight-time All-Star struggled this year, slashing a mere .237/.289/.377 with only 12 home runs and 52 RBIs. Both of those numbers represent the lowest figures in Arenado’s career since his rookie season, not accounting for the shortened 2020 MLB season.
Despite his recent struggles, Arenado was still an All-Star back for his first three seasons in St. Louis. The 34-year-old still has two years left of team control and is bound to attract suitors this offseason. At this stage in Arenado’s career, keep an eye out for the veteran third baseman to try to join a contender this offseason.
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