The St. Louis Cardinals fully intend to trade Gold-Glove-winning, All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado this winter, and it appears as though he is willing to waive his no-trade clause for the New York Mets, amongst others.
MLB.com’s John Denton reports that the 33-year-old has listed the Mets as one of six teams he would be willing to be shipped to. The others are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, and Boston Red Sox.
His willingness to be traded to the Mets comes just days after the team made its landmark signing of superstar outfielder Juan Soto on a 15-year, $765 million contract, which further catapults the club’s status as a legitimate National League pennant contender.
The Cardinals are looking to rebuild after a second-straight mediocre, postseason-less season, which featured 83 wins. Their star partnership of Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt seemingly grew stale, as the 10-time Gold Glover had one of the worst offensive seasons in his career, batting .272 with 16 home runs, 71 RBI, and a .719 OPS in 152 games.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said on Monday that he “intends to try” to trade Arenado, who has three years left on his current contract.
Depending on how the dominoes fall this winter, the Mets could be in the market for a more stable third baseman. Slugging first baseman Pete Alonso could walk in free agency, which would prompt David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza to move breakout third baseman Mark Vientos to first base in 2025.
That would leave New York with young, unproven options, such as Brett Baty, who has yet to prove he can stick in the majors, and Ronny Mauricio, who is coming off an ACL injury that held him out the entirety of 2024. That might not suffice for a team with World Series aspirations.
Arenado would undoubtedly receive more support in a lineup with Soto, Francisco Lindor, and Mark Vientos, which would suggest a bump in offensive production. This is a player who hit 30 or more home runs seven times and 40-plus on three occasions.
