The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the best surprises in MLB so far this season. Despite a hot start by the Chicago Cubs, the Cardinals are just three games back in the NL Central and four games over .500 as of this writing. The Cards feature young, up-and-coming stars paired with veterans who have been there before like Miles Mikolas, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado. Unfortunately for Arenado, he has not performed up to par in 2025, which is why the Cards would be best-served dealing him as soon as possible.
Of course, the Cardinals already know this. John Mozeliak, Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals front office have tried to trade Arenado on several occasions. In one case, they had a deal agreed upon with the Houston Astros, but Arenado wouldn't bight. The 34-year-old's no-trade clause has been a pain in the side of Mozeliak and Co. for months now. Teams like the Detroit Tigers – now with the best record in MLB – reportedly had some interest, but they weren't on the list of organizations Arenado would welcome a trade to.
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, previously teams which reportedly expressed interest, found alternatives relatively quickly. That makes Arenado's 2025 output – a .695 OPS and .242 batting average with limited power – all the more frustrating.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Cardinals reach a breaking point with Nolan Arenado
The Cardinals moved Arenado down in the lineup just a few days ago, as he's been scuffling of late. While Arenado remains a sound defensive presence in the St. Louis infield, his bat hasn't delivered so far this season. If you don't believe me, just ask him.
“We switched the lineup [because] the guys are playing well in front of me, and the guys who were hitting behind me, they should move up in front of me,” said Arenado. “There's really nothing more to it than that.”
Arenado has high standards for himself. He's a former NL MVP winner, and his home run totals have been dropping consistently since he left Coors Field. Now, he's barely even a power threat, and his confidence is suffering as a result.
“I don't really have an answer. Just play better, play more the way I think I'm capable of,” Arenado said. “But it's been a minute since I’ve felt like I could play the way I should. So I don't know if it's coming back or not.”
That's not the answer Cards fans were expecting to hear, and it explains why St. Louis was so intent on trading him before the season, while there was still some value left.