It sure sounds like Nolan Arenado is ready to give up on the Cardinals and John Mozeliak

When the St. Louis Cardinals acquired Nolan Arenado ahead of the 2021 season, the ultimate goal was clear. The team wanted to win a World Series. The desire to win is why, after the 2022 season, Arenado opted into the remainder of an eight-year extension he had signed with the Colorado Rockies prior to the trade instead of testing free agency.

Unfortunately, things haven't gone as planned for the Cardinals during Arenado's time in St. Louis. The team has two postseason appearances and he has played in a total of three postseason games with the Cardinals. They missed the postseason in both 2023 and 2024, and John Mozeliak made it abundantly clear that the organization is shifting gears as a result. Instead of trying (and failing) to win, the Cardinals are going to focus on development and enter a retool of sorts.

Given Arenado's age and contract, the Cardinals are hoping to trade the star third baseman this offseason in order to give more playing time to younger players. Based on the latest from Katie Woo of The Athletic (subscription required) Mozeliak isn't the only one hoping Arenado ends up elsewhere.

"Now, as the Cardinals shift directions and contemplate trading Arenado, the 10-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman is willing to play first base, or at least less at third, to create roster flexibility for a potential new team, league sources briefed on his situation say," Woo wrote.

Arenado is so eager to get out of St. Louis and on a team trying to win to the point where he's willing to make the move across the diamond from third base to first base according to Woo.

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Nolan Arenado appears to be as done with the Cardinals as the team is with him

Arenado has appeared in 1,629 MLB games in the field across 12 seasons, and all 1,629 games have been at third base. All 415 games he played in six seasons at the minor league level were also at the hot corner. The fact that he's willing to make a switch across the diamond in order to help facilitate a trade despite all he has accomplished defensively at third base says a lot about his desire to win and how eager he is to leave St. Louis.

While it says a lot about Arenado's character to be open to this, it's fair to wonder if it makes much sense at all for a team to look to acquire him only to move him across the diamond.

Arenado is one of the best defensive third basemen in MLB history. He won a Gold Glove in each of his first 10 MLB seasons from 2012 through 2022. He hasn't won one in each of his last two seasons, but was a Gold Glove finalist this past season, and he ranked in the 95th percentile in OAA according to Baseball Savant. As if that isn't impressive enough, he's also won six Platinum Gloves, awarding him as the best defender in the National League six times.

Arenado might not be the platinum-level defender he once was, but he's still one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Why exactly would a team want to acquire him only to move him away from his biggest strength?

Once upon a time, Arenado paired his absurd defensive ability with one of the best bats in the National League. However, he had a down year in 2023, and regressed even more this past season, slashing .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI in 152 games. He's still a solid hitter, but his 101 OPS+ was just a tick above the league average of 100.

Arenado is still a productive player, but he's set to make a total of $52 million through the 2027 season - an average of over $17 million annually. How willing would teams be to take that money on knowing that his bat is in decline and that he has no experience at first base?

While Arenado's willingness to change positions might not mean much, his desire to join a contender is clear. Given the fact that he has a no-trade clause, that's very important information. If the Cardinals can find a deal that they like with a team Arenado perceives to be a contender, there's a good chance he'll be willing to waive the no-trade clause and help facilitate a deal.