Cardinals can't get out of their own way in quest to trade Nolan Arenado

The St. Louis Cardinals have made it a point to trade Nolan Arenado this offseason. Yet as spring training gets underway, he remains a member of the team. After missing the playoffs for the second straight year, the Cardinals proposed a "reset" at the beginning of the offseason, looking to move some of their older, more expensive players in order to open up playing time for younger stars and clear the deck for Chaim Bloom as he replaced the outgoing John Mozeliak.

However, nothing has been done. No trades have been made and no free agents have been signed. The big-league roster remains in flux. Mozeliak but all of his effort into moving Arenado, and as that market has stalled, he's been unable to pivot to trading other players such as Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde. But that could all be forgiven if not for another crucial mistake that has cost them this entire offseason.

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Cardinals have only themselves to blame for failure to trade Nolan Arenado

Trading Arenado would open up third base for Nolan Gorman, a player whom the Cardinals want to give everyday at-bats. But St. Louis has also expressed a desire to cut payroll, and Jeff Passan of ESPN points out one major reason a deal with the Boston Red Sox hasn't happened yet — a reason that has nothing to do with Alex Bregman and his market.

"The Red Sox have yet to bite, not only because of the consequences of such a move — Devers shifting to a near-full-time designated hitter role — but because the Cardinals have not budged enough on the money they're willing to send with the remaining three years and $64 million on Arenado's contract," Passan reported.

This issue is one that the Cardinals themselves have created. Owner Bill DeWitt Jr., despite being one of the richest owners in the sport, is desperate to shed payroll, and it's costing the Cardinals a chance to move forward with their reset.

Even if the Cardinals have to eat more money, they still will shed some of Arenado's payroll and be able to get out from under a good portion of his contract, which should even leave room for a free agent addition or two. However, it's clear at this point that this proposed reset was nothing but a smokescreen. Instead of building for the future and setting themselves up for what comes after 2025 when Bloom takes over, they are more focused on not only cutting costs, but using lower attendance and lost revenue from their TV deal as excuses to not improve the team.

As such, the Cardinals are still stuck in neutral, and don't have a clear direction, which is understandably not sitting well with their devoted fanbase. What's more, even if this whole approach is about cutting costs, the Cardinals need to decide whether or not they want to at least shed some payroll or not shed any payroll at all and be completely stuck with Arenado's contract.

The return may not be too substantial anyway, but the more St. Louis eats, the more likely a deal gets done, and the more likely it is that they can improve the return, potentially adding some intriguing young pieces to their mix for 2025.

Perhaps then, fans will believe that there's some sort of plan. But until they see what the organization's direction is, they understandably will not buy what they're being sold.