Nolan Arenado’s trade wishlist omits one clear fit

The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to embrace the future in John Mozeliak's final season at the helm. Expect St. Louis to trade veterans in pursuit of prospects and long-term flexibility. That is the goal, at least. The feasibility of that goal remains to be seen.

There isn't a more obvious trade candidate on the roster than Nolan Arenado. The veteran third baseman led the National League in WAR (7.7) and finished third in MVP voting just a couple years ago, but it has been tough sledding more recently. Arenado's bat ran hot and cold (mostly cold) in 2024, as he finished with a meager .719 OPS and 16 home runs across 152 games.

Broad interest in the 33-year-old remains. He's good. Maybe not great anymore, but certainly a solid, winning player. On the surface, there are plenty of teams who would benefit from Arenado's committed defense and competent bat.

It's a little bit more complicated, though, as Arenado is due $52 million over the next three years. That is a bad contract. Teams don't want to pay it. If St. Louis wants to get serious about shedding Arenado, it will require either eating his salary or taking back bad money. Neither is ideal.

Moreover, Arenado is equipped with a full no-trade clause, which means he can control his own destiny. Mozeliak has to do more than find a willing taker; he has to find a willing taker that Arenado approves of.

Now, courtesy of MLB.com's John Denton, we have a list of six teams on Arenado's trade wishlist.

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Nolan Arenado reveals his trade wishlist to Cardinals — but where are the Yankees?

Arenado's motives here are twofold. He really wants to go to Southern California. In his ideal world, Arenado probably lands with the Dodgers and stacks a couple World Series dubs before his retirement. In reality, though, puttering around Anaheim or San Diego is also acceptable to the Newport Beach native.

If Arenado can't get dealt to his home state, he will settle for a contender in the northeast. Philadelphia, New York, and Boston all have a need, more or less, in the corner infield. Arenado has informed Mozeliak and prospective suitors that he is willing to transition to first base as needed, which might — as he sure hopes — drum up interest in his services.

It's the New York team not on Arenado's list that stands out, though. The New York Yankees have a clear corner infield need and an immediate directive to build a contender around Aaron Judge. For all his warts, Arenado could either replace Gleyber Torres or take over first base duties for Anthony Rizzo. The Yankees might be the most logical fit of all.

And yet, the Yanks don't appear on Areando's wishlist. Why? We may never know. It's a curious omission, especially when he's willing to rubber stamp a lousy team like the Angels.

Arenado is firmly on the "buyer beware" list for all these teams. The Phillies, for example, could look to trade Alec Bohm and replace him with Arenado, but Bohm was a significantly better hitter last season, even accounting for his late slump. So, while Arenado's sharp defense and veteran savvy are good tools to have in the tool belt, teams shouldn't get grand notions of what a former MVP candidate and All-Star might accomplish in a new stadium. Arenado isn't the same player he was in his prime.

Maybe, in the end, it's better this way for the Yankees. Trading for Arenado is such a huge risk. New York would be better off pouring a few years of salary into Christian Walker or Pete Alonso at first. You can still re-sign Gleyber Torres and put Jazz Chisholm at third, too. The options are plentiful.