Cardinals say “Hands-off!” star third baseman, and they mean it

The Cardinals got their point across loud and clear in a message to the league: We are not trading Nolan Arenado.

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a position to sell at the upcoming deadline, but they’re also being extremely picky about which pieces to keep and which to offload.

One of their supposed untouchables is third baseman Nolan Arenado. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak told the media in a clear-cut statement that the franchise had no interest in trading Arenado, nor has the franchise asked him to waive his no-trade clause.

This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to those following recent Cardinals trade rumors, as Arenado was often included with Paul Goldschmidt, Lars Nootbaar, and Jordan Walker in St. Louis’ “keep” pile.

Mozeliak did comment on his desire to build for “future success”, and it was implied that Arenado would be in the Cards’ long-term plans. After everything that’s been said and done, it would be shocking to see Arenado waive his no-trade clause since he had the opportunity to trigger an opt-out at the end of last year.

For now, all trade rumors concerning the star third baseman should be put to a halt.

Cardinals refuse to budge on Nolan Arenado

Arenado had been rumored to be shopped to the Los Angeles Dodgers among a few other teams this summer.

While some fans may see this hands-off move as the Cards overvaluing their players, Mozeliak is merely drawing a line in the sand for his franchise come August. Certain players are available; Arenado and the other core three are not.

Currently 46-59 and more than likely missing out on the playoffs this season, the Cards will look to rebuild for 2024 and beyond. Probable trade pieces include impending free agents Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks, and Jack Flaherty, each of whom should get a good return on the market.

Barring a sudden change of heart, Arenado’s relationship with the Cardinals appears healthy as ever even during this emotional downturn of a season.