According to the St. Louis Cardinals’ head of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, the organization will “reset” for the 2025 season in order to free up cash to rebuild after a disappointing 83-79 season. Last season, the Redbirds missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year, and only the ninth time since 2000.
That means the Cardinals’ highest-paid player, third baseman Nolan Arenado, is on the trading block, barely four years after St. Louis traded five players, including three minor league prospects, to acquire the 10-time Gold Glove winner from the Colorado Rockies. Arenado had just signed an eight-year, $260 million contract with the Colorado Rockies in 2019.
Although Mozeliak has expressed his “intention” to deal Arenado, there is a caveat. Arenado, a 10-time All-Star, has a solid no-trade clause in his deal. According to an MLB.com article from December, Arenado is open to being moved but has a short list of teams he would consider.
There are only six, according to the article. Not surprisingly, the 33-year-old Southern California native has all three teams from that region on his list: the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. According to MLB.com, Arenado would also consider deals with three East Coast teams. These are the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Boston Red Sox.
Of course, Arenado would always be free to refuse a trade to any team, including one on his alleged list. However, on New Year’s Day, Cardinals Live, a popular Cardinals fan account on X (previously Twitter), said that, according to its own sources, Arenado’s chances of agreeing to a trade with the Red Sox were “high.” “No offer has been formally made but multiple conversations have occurred in the Sox front office if some of their other options are unavailable – maybe even if they are,” the website Cardinals Live wrote.
According to the Cardinals Live report, speculations have linked Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida to a deal for Arenado, although Yoshida’s name has not been included in any conversations thus far.
