Cody Bellinger trade should serve as a warning for John Mozeliak and Cardinals

Cody Bellinger is a pretty important addition for the New York Yankees. He's going to start in center field and provide pop in a Yankees lineup that needs plenty of it after Juan Soto's departure.

So, why did Bellinger get dealt for a 30 year-old pitcher who's played 24 MLB games in his life?

In part, because it appears the market for aging former superstars isn't particularly hot right now, no matter how productive those players can still be. That's not a good sign for the St. Louis Cardinals and Nolan Arenado.

As the franchise searches for a trade partner for Arenado, the return — or lack thereof — that Chicago got for Bellinger might be a sign of things to come for the Cardinals.

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A trade package for Arenado likely won't be thrilling to Cardinals fans

While an Arenado trade still sounds likely based on the reporting coming out of St. Louis, Cardinals fans shouldn't get too excited about the potential return.

Arenado is owed a large chunk of change the next three seasons, and although he's still capable of playing a good every day third base, his production has plateaued a bit (combined 4.9 WAR the past two seasons.)

Again, even at 33 Arenado will produce for whichever team he ends up on, but that doesn't mean he'll warrant a top prospect in return. St. Louis currently has three players in MLB's top 100 prospects — JJ Wetherhold, Tink Hence and Quinn Matthews — and if the team can pry a top 100 guy from another team for Arenado, that would be a massive victory.

But if we want to be realistic, lower-ranked prospects and potentially a younger MLB player is what Cardinals fans should be looking forward to when an Arenado deal inevitably does come to fruition.