A year after St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado spoiled his own chances of getting traded, he finds himself in the same position, if not a worse one.

For the third consecutive year, Arenado saw a significant decline at the plate. Entering his age-35 campaign, the 10-time Gold Glover has two years left on his contract, and doesn’t fit in with a Cardinals team that is trending younger and looking to undertake a rebuild.

The motivation is there for the Cardinals to trade Arenado, but they still owe him over $18 million per season. Assuming they pay down some of that money, what realistic suitors could they find at this point?

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Arenado a fit for Diamondbacks?Arenado

Apr 14, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder Nolan Arenado (28) at bat in the second inning during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

One baseball writer believes the Arizona Diamondbacks could lend St. Louis a helping hand.

On Wednesday, CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa predicted that Arenado would find himself traded to the D-backs before the end of next week’s winter meetings, which run from Sunday through Wednesday in Orlando.

“Jordan Lawlar hasn’t given the D-backs a reason to put him in the everyday lineup and a heavily subsidized Arenado would be a nice little two-year stopgap at the hot corner,” Axisa wrote. “Arizona is good enough that you can see them in the race in 2026, which could be enough to convince Arenado to waive his no-trade clause.

“The Cardinals traded away Sonny Gray last month and ate $20 million to do it. They owe Arenado a total of $37 million the next two years. Paying down another $20 million would turn him into an $8.5 million a year player from 2026-27, and hey, that’s not so bad.”

Arizona is generally an easier place to hit than St. Louis, so perhaps Arenado could find a bit of offensive rejuvenation there, even in the face of declining bat speed and hard-hit rates. And at this point, there aren’t many teams one could envision Arenado refusing to play for.

Ending the year-long trade saga would be a win for both the Cardinals and the eight-time All-Star, but that takes a willing third party.

More MLB: Cardinals Lose 26-Year-Old Southpaw To Division-Rival Pirates