The St. Louis Cardinals were swept in their first series after the All-Star break and have now lost seven of their last 10 contests, dropping their record to 51-49 on the year. The team is still in Wild Card contention, but St. Louis enters Monday's action 3.5 games back of the third and final NL playoff spot and on the decline. Barring a quick turnaround, the Cardinals could be sellers at this year's trade deadline, and that could even include Nolan Arenado.
John Mozeliak, visiting his native COLO for the last time as #stlcards POBO, also said he'll approach Nolan Arenado in the week leading up to trade deadline for the veteran's preference if a trade surfaces as possible.#cardinals #rockies #MLB
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 21, 2025
John Mozeliak said he'd approach Arenado ahead of the July 31 trade deadline to see if he'd be interested in a trade. Arenado holds all the power due to his no-trade clause, as Cardinals fans saw over the offseason. But if St. Louis falls out of the race, it's entirely possible that Arenado would consider accepting a trade to the right team.
Arenado probably won't and shouldn't accept a deal that'd send him to a fringe contender like the Los Angeles Angels, but there are at least three teams he should be willing to waive his no-trade clause for.
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3) New York Yankees
There isn't a team that needs a third baseman more than the New York Yankees. After moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base full-time, the Yankees' options to man the hot corner are Jorbit Vivas and Oswald Peraza. That might be the worst third-base situation in the game, and it certainly is the worst among contending teams.
Say what you want about Arenado not being the player he used to be and the contract not being great, but he'd be a substantial upgrade over what the Yankees have at the hot corner. Even with his production decline, Arenado is a league-average hitter and still an elite defender.
There's nothing to suggest that the Yankees would be willing to take on even half of Arenado's contract, but if New York is looking to acquire him, Arenado should be willing to reunite with Paul Goldschmidt and compete for a World Series title that this Yankees team absolutely can win.
2) Detroit Tigers
Arenado might not have been enthused about the idea of joining the Detroit Tigers over the offseason, but things have to have changed by now, right? I mean, maybe Arenado might not love the city of Detroit, but he should love everything about this baseball team.
At 60-40, the Tigers have the best record in the Majors as of this writing, and have the largest division lead in the sport by a wide margin. They're a near lock to win the AL Central, and should be favored to earn one of the two byes in the American League.
The Tigers are great, but they could use another right-handed bat. They'd likely do what they realistically can to acquire Eugenio Suarez, but Arenado wouldn't be the worst consolation prize in the world, especially given Detroit's clear need for another right-handed bat. Since primary third baseman Zack McKinstry can play all around the diamond, the Tigers would have no problem fitting Arenado into the lineup. Joining arguably the best team in the game should be a no-brainer for Arenado, but whether the Tigers want him remains to be seen.
1) Chicago Cubs
Here's the big one. Would the Cardinals be willing to send Arenado to the Chicago Cubs? I have no idea. Would the Cubs be willing to give the Cardinals enough to justify trading Arenado within the division? I have no idea. Should Arenado be willing to accept a trade to the Cubs if that were an option? Absolutely.
Cardinals fans might not love the Cubs, but they can't deny that Chicago is as good as it gets in the game right now. One of the team's lone weaknesses, though, is at third base. Matt Shaw simply hasn't hit enough to justify regular reps at the position, and neither have any of Chicago's other options. In fact, Cubs third basemen rank dead last in the majors with a 55 wRC+ and tied for last with -0.5 fWAR. Arenado, even with his flaws, would be a major upgrade.
It might not be ideal for the Cubs to add a third baseman like Arenado if they believe in Shaw's long-term future at the position, but he might be the best non-Suarez option available. It's certainly a long-shot that the Cardinals and Cubs would agree to an Arenado deal, but on the off-chance that they do, the future Hall of Famer should waive his no-trade clause and do whatever he can to haunt St. Louis.