The big story of the day for the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday certainly was the trade to send Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After a year of rumors, that’s surely going to catch fans’ attention. The Arenado trade will be the big story around St. Louis for a bit — at least until the next deal comes along. But it sounds like the deal could end up having an impact on one of the game’s top prospects: JJ Wetherholt.
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In the immediate aftermath of the trade on Tuesday, speculation began about whether this deal could open up third base for the Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect. On Tuesday night, Katie Woo of The Athletic — who was the first to report that St. Louis and Arizona were close on the deal — brought up Wetherholt’s name when talking about third base for the club.
Cardinals fans should be excited right now
Jul 12, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; National League infielder JJ Wetherholt (26) of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases during the second inning against American League at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
“The Cardinals are still debating whether they’re going to trade Brendan Donovan,” Woo said. “And that is going to play into their infield picture. Right now, Nolan Gorman, he played at the hot corner while Nolan Arenado was on the Injured List for about six weeks last season. The Cardinals are going to give him a chance to go out there again, but there’s also a name that prospect enthusiasts should know about: JJ Wetherholt. The Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2024.
“He can play around the infield, but started to play a lot of third base in Triple-A Memphis last year and it would not be surprising to me at all if he comes out for Spring Training and is seeing a lot of time at third base. Maybe there is going to be a bit of a position battle. We know the Cardinals are rebuilding. We know they want the youth. JJ Wetherholt, well he fits that narrative pretty well. I wonder if we could see him get a legitimate shot to crack the Opening Day roster now that third base seems to be an open competition for St. Louis.”
Arenado was a star in St. Louis, but the club is resetting and looking ahead. If this trade opens the door for the team’s top prospect to make his big league debut, it will be worth all of the cash St. Louis sent to Arizona to get it done.
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