Cardinals lineup surprise had fans thinking their long-running nightmare was over

Could it finally be happening? The St. Louis Cardinals miraculously defeated Pirates ace Paul Skenes for the fourth time in his short career on Tuesday night, but despite that fact they will enter their Wednesday afternoon game with a different lineup entirely. While the reason is not entirely known, a popular Cardinals trade target has been scratched under some sketchy – albeit likely explainable – circumstances. Nolan Arenado was removed at the last minute.

The Cardinals will surely have more information in the coming hours, but Arenado was initially slated to hit in the top half of the lineup...until he wasn't. Per an update provided by John Denton, Arenado was removed from the lineup with back spasms, but that didn't stop St. Louis fans from (wrongly) assuming he'd be dealt.

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Nolan Arenado mysteriously left out of Cardinals lineup at last minute

Arenado has been linked to several contending teams dating back to this past winter. The gold glove-winning third baseman turned down a deal to the Houston Astros, and was a target of the New York Yankees and even Boston Red Sox at one point. Arenado has a long no-trade list that has been the frustration of the Cards front office, leaving John Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom speechless.

While it is far more likely that Arenado was removed from the lineup for injury reasons or even just your basic day off, he was initially slated to play. In his place, Nolan Gorman will play third base.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently pitched an Arenado trade to Detroit. While the Tigers had interest in Arenado at one point this past winter, the player himself had little interest. However, the Tigers are off to a tremendous start, and are the best team in the American League record-wise as of this writing.

Arenado showed up to Cards spring training determined to prove his worth, and the Cardinals wrong. While St. Louis is retooling on the fly, Arenado still has plenty left to give the right team with a void at third base. He's not the hitter he once was, but Arenado is a gold glove caliber third baseman. So far this season, he is slashing .256/.342/.392 with three home runs.

Any trade of Arenado would signal open season for other potential Cards targets. If there is anything St. Louis hopes to gain this season, it's to develop their young stars. Dealing Arenado would be the first step, even if it doesn't happen on Wednesday.