Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
With much of the focus of the baseball offseason being on free agency, there are still multiple big names who could be traded this winter. Some around the game expect a lot of movement across the league, and some All-Stars could end up being traded.
One of those is veteran infielder Nolan Arenado, who has spent the last few seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. Arenado has been on the trade block for years, but due to his having a no-trade clause, he can pretty much veto any deal that he doesn’t want.
The Cardinals were close to trading the veteran last offseason, but Arenado vetoed the deal that would have sent him to the Houston Astros. However, it does seem like Arenado will be moved this winter, especially with the Cardinals heading into more of a rebuild.
The other issue in a trade for Arenado has been his contract, but he only has two more years left on his current deal. Arenado is scheduled to make $16 million for the upcoming season, and then $15 million for the 2017 season.
It remains to be seen if the Cardinals will move Arenado, and these rumors have been swirling around for years. Until the deal is official, or Arenado says he is staying in St. Louis, these narratives will continue to fly around.
This is just a prediction, NOT a report!
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Nolan Arenado Traded Over to Detroit Tigers
As the Cardinals figure out next steps with Arenado, the idea of them actually trading him this winter has grown in sentiment across the entire league. St. Louis has to make some moves to get itself back into a place of contention, and Arenado could be one of the bigger trade chips that the team has.
One team that could look to make a move to land the former All-Star is the Detroit Tigers. Detroit is coming off a year that saw it find a ton of success, coming within one game of the American League Championship Series.
The Tigers have a fairly strong roster, but they could use another bat to add to the lineup. Detroit also has a desire to upgrade the third base position, and this is where Arenado could slide right in.
Many across the sport have linked Detroit with some of the bigger free agent third basemen, but the Tigers may prefer not to spend a ton of money. This could see them look to go down the trade route instead, and Arenado could be one of the better players available.
Since the Tigers are a real title contender for next season, it could see the veteran waive his no-trade clause for a deal to get done. Arenado understands that a move is needed, and the Rigers could be one of the better landing spots for him moving forward.
One of the beautiful parts for Arenado about a deal to Detroit is that he wouldn’t need to be “the” star since they have multiple other talented players on the team. Arenado could simply fit in with the clubhouse and just be himself, helping them to go after a World Series title.