Ranking the 6 teams Nolan Arenado would waive no-trade clause for by fit

With the St. Louis Cardinals resetting things, Nolan Arenado is very available on the trade block. In fact, John Mozeliak went as far as to say he's "trying" to trade him. So, yeah, it's safe to say that Arenado's tenure in St. Louis is all but over.

While it's exciting to see a big name like this enter the trade market, there are some issues for the Cardinals to work through when it comes to dealing him. First, he isn't the player he once was. His defense (while still great) isn't quite at the Platinum Glove level it was in the past. His bat went from one of the best in the sport to merely average.

This past season saw him slash .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI. He wasn't bad, but his OPS+ was 101 - a mere one point above league-average. He's still a solid player, but given his age (33), contract, and recent production, it's hard to expect him to fetch much of a return.

Additionally, Arenado has a full no-trade clause, giving him full control in terms of where he ends up. With that in mind, a list of six approved landing spots was revealed by John Denton of MLB.com on Tuesday night.

Things can change, but for now, it appears as if Arenado will only accept a trade to these six teams. Of these six landing spots, some feel like better fits than others. Let's rank them by fit.

6) The Angels should want nothing to do with a Nolan Arenado trade

The Los Angeles Angels being on this list suggests that while Arenado does want to win, coming home to Southern California, where he's from, would be more than fine with him. While he's entitled to want to come back home, the Angels should want no part of this reunion.

As much as they want to trick themselves that they're a playoff team or anywhere close, that's simply not the case. Jorge Soler will add some much-needed power, Yusei Kikuchi is a solid rotation arm, Travis d'Arnaud and Kyle Hendricks add some veteran leadership, but this team still isn't very good. Adding 33-year-old Arenado with three years left on his deal doesn't make them much better.

At this point, the Angels are better off letting their young players see the field as much as possible. Acquiring Arenado does nothing other than give Arte Moreno a big name to try and sell to a fan base starved for wins. The Angels already have an older overpaid third baseman on their roster, and they don't need another.

5) It's hard to see where Nolan Arenado fits in with the Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox would be a fun landing spot for Arenado. It would've been interesting to see him with the Green Monster back when he was a 40+ home run hitter. Now, it's hard to see the fit.

The Red Sox have Rafael Devers inked long-term as their third baseman. They could move him over to first base, but that's where Triston Casas is. They could trade Casas for a pitcher, but why is trading Casas (a much better hitter) and replacing him with Arenado a better plan than Boston signing, say, Corbin Burnes in free agency?

The only way Arenado fits is if they choose to use 28-year-old Devers as a DH or if they trade Casas. Neither option should be seriously considered. It'd be nice to see the Red Sox acquire an expensive veteran, but Arenado doesn't fit. Just spend the money on pitching, please.

4) As much as he wants it, the Dodgers probably aren't trading for Nolan Arenado

If Arenado could pick his landing spot, the Los Angeles Dodgers would almost certainly be his destination of choice, and it's hard to blame him. He's from Southern California, they just won the World Series, and the fit isn't impossible to figure out.

The Dodgers could easily stick Arenado at third base and move Max Muncy to second base. That'd probably hurt their middle infield defense, but still, the fit can be arranged if the Dodgers wanted Arenado.

The problem is, though, that Muncy appears to be locked in as the team's third baseman. The Dodgers could still probably use another infielder, but they'd also be just fine with Gavin Lux and/or Miguel Rojas slotting in regularly given how deep their lineup is.

It'd be wild seeing the Dodgers add another big name. Arenado clearly wants it based on his recent Instagram activity. It just doesn't appear to be in the cards, though.

3) Nolan Arenado's flexibility opens the door for the Padres to make a deal

In order to try and help facilitate a deal, Arenado has expressed a willingness to move across the diamond to first base. That could give a team like the San Diego Padres a path to getting a deal done.

Right now, the Padres have Manny Machado as their third baseman and Luis Arraez at first base. They, however, do not have an established DH. Using Arraez at DH opens first base for Arenado to join the mix.

Should the Padres do this when they need help in their rotation, behind the plate, and in left field? That's a question worth asking - but the fit isn't impossible to piece together if the Padres are willing to spend a good amount of money.

2) Alec Bohm being on the trade block makes the Phillies a fit for Nolan Arenado

Following another disappointing postseason run, the Philadelphia Phillies are looking to shake things up. With that in mind, Alec Bohm's name has been very prevalent on the trade block. Trading Bohm makes some sense, given his poor postseason track record, and he can net them a nice return.

What trading Bohm also does is open up third base for a guy like Arenado to come in. Is Arenado an upgrade over Bohm at this point? No, but again, he's a serviceable option. Trading Bohm as part of a deal to, say, land Garrett Crochet, and stick Arenado at third in his place wouldn't be the worst thing.

Arenado should see his offensive numbers tick up a bit playing half the time at Citizens Bank Park and in a deep lineup, and his defense would be a welcome addition for a team that struggles in that area.

1) If Pete Alonso departs, Nolan Arenado becomes a viable option for the Mets to pursue

The New York Mets made the biggest addition of the offseason by winning the Juan Soto sweepstakes, and they're not done. The Mets need to add to their rotation beyond what they've already done. They need at least a couple of relievers to improve what is a shaky bullpen on paper. Perhaps most importantly, though, they need a corner infielder.

Mark Vientos established himself as a core piece of New York's future, but he can only play one of the two corner infield spots. In a perfect world, the Mets re-sign Pete Alonso, but if his market sees a lot of action, there's a good chance that David Stearns won't want to meet a high asking price for a first baseman on the wrong side of 30.

If Alonso departs, moving Vientos across the diamond to first base to accommodate an Arenado trade wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. The Mets would lose a ton of firepower offensively, but they'd improve tremendously defensively with this swap. Given the fact that they added Soto's bat, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.