Let's sure hope the Cardinals aren't getting this desperate with Nolan Arenado

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is coming off of one of his worst seasons as a big league player. Even Arenado at his worst is something a lot of teams would be willing to make room for. In 2024, he still hit .272 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs. We all know that when he is at his best, Arenado can be one of the best defensive players in the game and all of his offensive statistics are higher than what he showcased last year.

Arenado is under contract with the Cardinals through the 2027 season but with the future plans St. Louis has, trading Arenado is in the best interest for everyone involved. The Cardinals should get a decent return for a player of Arenado's caliber, right? Not so fast.

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Cardinals could get desperate in Nolan Arenado trade talks

At this point in his career, Arenado has all the individual accolades a player could want but has never been a part of a World Series team. It comes as no surprise that the majority of the teams Arenado has said he would waive his no-trade clause for (Red Sox, Phillies, Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Angels and Dodgers) are teams that could compete in October.

All of these teams now either do not have the capacity to take on Arenado's contract or are unwilling to part with pieces the Cardinals would want in return for a trade to happen. While it is likely that the Cardinals bite the bullet and eventually agree to take on a portion of Arenado's salary, they may also be asking for less in return out of desperation.

St. Louis does not want to go into the 2025 season with the weight on their shoulders of playing Arenado every day knowing that he wants out and the organization wants to trade him as well. ESPN's Eric Karabell made a bold prediction on Friday on where Arenado will end up.

Karabell predicted Arenado would be traded to the Mariners. Of course this is just speculation and a prediction, but Karabell argues that the Mariners have not made any significant moves as of late and are in desperate need of a lineup improvement just as much as the Cardinals need Arenado off their payroll.

Even though a deal between the Cardinals and Mariners would give both teams what they are looking for, this would most certainly be a lopsided trade in favor of the Mariners. Arenado is a good enough player that some organization out there will be wiling to take a big risk to land him. Seattle seems a little farfetched, especially if they won't fork over any of their young pitchers in return.