Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
As the St. Louis Cardinals move forward with their offseason, the team has already moved one of its veteran players off the roster. St. Louis traded ace Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox, starting the potential fire sale that will be coming this winter.
After multiple years of being stuck in mediocrity, the Cardinals now appear ready to move some players to build toward the future. One of those is veteran infielder Nolan Arenado, who has been subject to trade rumors for a few years now.
St. Louis almost traded Arenado to the Houston Astros last offseason, but since the infielder has a full no-trade clause, he was able to veto the deal. However, it has been rumored that he is much more willing to be traded this offseason, especially due to his desire to play for a contending team.
The other issue with any Arenado trade in the past has been his contract, but luckily, the veteran only has two more seasons left on the deal. Arenado is scheduled to make $16 million for the upcoming season and then $15 million for the 2017 season, making him much easier to move in a trade.
The veteran isn’t the same All-Star player that he once was, but there is some hope that he can turn things around playing for a better team. Last season with the Cardinals, Arenado hit .237 with 12 home runs and 52 runs batted in, appearing in 107 games.
With all the rumors surrounding the Cardinals and Arenado over the years, nothing is certain until it is finalized. But it does seem like things could be very different this time around, especially with St. Louis seemingly heading into a full rebuild going forward.
This is just a prediction, NOT a report!
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As St. Louis tries to find a trade partner for Arenado, the Arizona Diamondbacks could be an interesting landing spot. Arizona jsut barely missed out on the playoffs this past season, and much of this was due to injuries all across the roster.
If the team were to add a veteran like Arenado to the mix, he would shore up the infield while also giving them another solid bat for the lineup. Putting him into a lineup with some of the talent that Arizona has could see his numbers jump up, especially since he would be much more motivated to play.
The Diamondbacks wouldn’t be taking on too much money long-term since he deal only lasts for two years, making this a lower-risk investment. But Arenado could really push Arizona to get back to the playoffs, and potentially even more once there.
Arizona made the World Series a few years ago, so the talent is on the team to contend. Adding a former All-Star to the mix couldn’t hurt, and he would bring more legitimacy to this overall roster.
Overall, this could be a solid addition for the Diamondbacks, giving them another bat for the team. Arenado would get to play for a contender as well, making this a possible win-win for each side.