Cardinals new hitting coach hints at Nolan Arenado's future without saying a word

It's no secret the St. Louis Cardinals will sell this winter. The Cards front office is in the midst of a retooling of sorts. John Mozeliak's contract runs out after the season, and Chaim Bloom will take his place. Mozeliak is expected to remain with the organization.

Paul Goldschmidt is a free agent, and he won't re-sign in St. Louis. Nolan Arenado is still on the roster, though, and is a trade asset the Cardinals could use to their advantage. Arenado is under contract for the next two years, and he's cheap compared to some assets on the free-agent market. Arenado still plays a mean third base, which is a premium position. Rather than hold onto him, though. Mozeliak and Co. may trade the longtime Rockies third baseman this winter.

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The St. Louis Cardinals could trade Nolan Arenado sooner rather than later

Per Redbird Rants Thomas Gauvin, Arenado could be an attractive option for contenders, especially those which don't want to spent money on the likes of Alex Bregman or Willy Adames.

"Teams who don't want to commit that much money or time to those free agents could be interested in Nolan Arenado via trade. It's a toss-up each offseason whether free agents will sign first or if players will be traded first. Whatever team is left without Bregman or Adames could be interested in trading for Nolan Arenado," Gauvin wrote.

What's even worse for Arenado is that the current regime does not seem to care if he is part of the solution. New St. Louis hitting coach Brant Brown has already met with Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker. However, he did not reach out to Arenado, which speaks volumes.

With Arenado on the outs, St. Louis does not want to waste valuable resources, or give him their new strategy until spring training.

Because he is under contract, there is a chance that Arenado is still with the Cards next spring if the offers underwhelm them. However, at some point the winter will heat up, which means the likes of Arenado (and more) could be on the move in the not-so-distant future.