Nolan Arenado has reported to spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals despite all of the trade rumors that have been buzzing this entire offseason. Arenado and the Cardinals have both agreed it would be best to part ways with one another but with what is left on his contract, John Mozeliak has yet to find a team willing to trade for the superstar third baseman.
Earlier this week, two-time all-star third baseman Alex Bregman signed a jaw-dropping deal with the Boston Red Sox for $120 million across three years. Now that Bregman is off the board, if teams want to upgrade at third base via free agency, their best option is a 40-year-old Justin Turner. While teams still needing a third baseman should consider trading for Arenado at this point, one MLB Insider has pitched an unrealistic trade scenario.
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MLB Insider suggests Cardinals/Cubs deal involving Nolan Arenado
Many would assume that the teams who were in the running for Alex Bregman will now see if they can strike a deal with the Cardinals to acquire Nolan Arenado. The Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs are all teams that were heavily involved in the Bregman sweepstakes.
Arenado seems like an ideal fit for any of the clubs but the challenges would be to give John Mozeliak what he is looking for in return, and Arenado waiving his no-trade clause. Out of these three teams, one would think that the Tigers and Blue Jays would have a better chance given that the Cubs are a division rival of the Cardinals.
ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney suggests otherwise.
What's next for Nolan Arenado? Well, one team that would be a theoretical fit would be the Cubs, one of the teams that missed out on Alex Bregman. They need a third baseman, while the Cards are trying to move the player and money... But St. Louis would have to get comfortable…
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 13, 2025
"They need a third baseman, while the Cards are trying to move the player and money... But St. Louis would have to get comfortable trading with a rival," writes Olney.
Not only would it not be logical for two division rivals to agree on a blockbuster trade but Arenado does not have the Cubs on his list of preferred destinations. According to John Denton of MLB.com, back in December, Arenado shared he would be comfortable going to the Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Phillies, Mets or Red Sox. That makes things even harder.
Mozeliak said on Thursday that Arenado would likely remain on the Cardinals for Opening Day, while saying that if the third baseman wants to be traded, he will have to expand his trade approval list.
So, unless the Cardinals are willing to trade Arenado to a division rival and Arenado approves of a trade, the Cubs don't make sense as a destination.