Nolan Arenado’s time with the St. Louis Cardinals is seemingly done, but a trade can only happen if another team is willing to add him to the roster.

And there reportedly won’t be that many interested parties this offseason.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported Tuesday that Arenado’s “options to be an everyday starting third baseman could be limited, as will be his suitors.”

That is notable since Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Tuesday, “His time with the Cardinals has been really good. We all feel it’s best to find a different fit. We’ll work on that, and we’ll work on that with him.”

St. Louis attempted to move him to the Houston Astros last offseason before he invoked his no-trade clause to block the deal. Yet Bloom’s revelation that the team is working with him this offseason to find a destination suggests such a situation will not happen again before the 2026 campaign.

Still, there is a reason there will reportedly be limited suitors.

With two years remaining on his deal, Arenado is not just a short-term rental for a contender in need of a veteran presence. He is also anything but cheap production since he is set to make $16 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027.

Throw in the fact he will be 35 years old next season and was just limited to 107 games in 2025 because of injury, and there is no shortage of red flags. 

There is also the drop off in production, as his 1.3 WAR in 2025 was the lowest mark of his career, per Baseball Reference. It is unrealistic to expect anything but a continued decline as he gets older, especially if he doesn’t have an everyday spot in the lineup to work through any slumps.

Arenado is one of the best third basemen of his generation with a resume that includes 10 Gold Gloves, six Platinum Gloves, eight All-Star selections and five Silver Sluggers, but the version of the player who accumulated all that recognition is not the player teams would be trading for this offseason. 

Rather, he would be someone who could provide veteran leadership but inconsistent production in the latter portion of his career.

That might not be appealing for many suitors.