The St. Louis Cardinals now have another team to possibly trade Nolan Arenado to this winter as the Los Angeles Angels are now looking for a third baseman.
This comes after a report was released by ESPN on Wednesday stating the Angels are looking to move on from Anthony Rendon. The veteran third baseman missed all of this past season due to injury and was a fraction of his old self for the entirety of his tenure with the Angels.
“The Los Angeles Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon are in talks about buying out the final year of his contract, potentially bringing a resolution to the seven-year, $245 million deal that did not come close to paying dividends,” Alden Gonzalez wrote for ESPN. “Rendon, who spent the entire 2025 season recovering from hip surgery, is expected to retire, a source said.”
This news comes less than a day after the Cardinals traded starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in a deal that kickstarted the rebuild for St. Louis.
“It seems inevitable that the Cardinals will either trade or release Nolan Arenado before the start of the ’26 season; if so, Willson Contreras will be the last St. Louis player with a contract for 2027. Unless he’s traded,” ESPN insider Buster Olney posted on X.
Arenado would be a great fit for the Angels as he continues to showcase a strong glove at the hot corner. His bat is not what it used to be, but he is still serviceable. The 34-year-old third baseman is also a native of Newport Beach, California, which is just under 20 miles from Angel Stadium.
The only downside for Arenado going to the Angels would be that Los Angeles wasn’t exactly a good team last season as it finished last in the American League West with a 72-90 record. While the organization did add Grayson Rodriguez to the rotation, it will take a lot more than that to turn them into contenders.
For Arenado, though, it comes down to what he values more: winning or a homecoming.
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