Cody Snavely
We are nearly two weeks removed from the annual Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, which were held in Dallas, Texas, this season. The rumor mill is hot around the free agent and trade industry. as we push deeper into the offseason.
However, veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado, a ten-time Gold Glove Award winner, has been the subject of trade discussions all offseason.
Arenado, 33, is coming off one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, where the righty hit .272/.325/.394 with a .719 OPS and 101 OPS+. Arenado is also set to receive $52 million in the final three years of his contract, along with $44 million in deferred payments from 2025 to 2041.
With the contract and the dollars owed, a huge issue for teams inquiring about a trade, the Cardinals would have to eat a good bit of the remaining salary to get a decent package in return.
However, it was reported yesterday by Major League Baseball insider Mark Feinsand that Arenado vetoed a trade with his no-trade clause that would’ve sent the third baseman to the Houston Astros along with around $15-$20 million.
The Astros are not one of the six teams on Arenado’s short list of trade destinations, which included the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Mets, but according to St. Louis Cardinals insider Katie Woo, Arenado would’ve considered the trade had Houston not traded away Kyle Tucker this past week, along with waiting for his market to materialize with star third baseman Alex Bregman still on the open market.
Despite the Dodgers being a rumored destination whether from Arenado’s camp or the media, Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes stated at the Winter Meetings that the expectation is that Max Muncy will be the full-time third baseman on Opening Day 2025.
But now, things get interesting. According to fellow St. Louis Cardinals insider John Denton of MLB.com, who spoke in a radio interview today, another winkle in this trade saga with Arenado is that he is holding out for a potential trade with the Dodgers.
He doesn’t want to do something in sort of a panic move this time of year. He wants to wait and see what his best options are. I think we all know, we all understand — Nolan Arenado wants to be told ‘No’ by the Dodgers; That’s his first choice, that’s where he still wants to go.
To make matters even more intriguing, Denton followed up this statement by stating that despite recent reports, the Dodgers do have some interest in Nolan Arenado even after Gomes’ comments.
“The Dodgers have kind of downplayed their interest in him, they’ve mentioned how Max Muncy will be on the roster to start the season. Don’t be snookered by that. The Dodgers still want Nolan Arenado,” Denton said. “They still have interest in him. But if they talk it down and act like they’re not that interested, they might be able to get out from under some of the money.”
This is the first conflicting report that goes against the grain regarding the Dodgers and Nolan Arenado, sparking many fans’ curiosity.
As mentioned, the Dodgers still have third baseman Max Muncy under control for the 2025 season and have a 1-year, $10 million club option for 2026.
The Dodgers’ current infield is in a bit of a logjam, with Mookie Betts now transitioning back to the shortstop full-time, according to Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes. Max Muncy will play third base at least for another year, Miguel Rojas and Gavin Lux will platoon at second base, and Freddie Freeman will play first base.
Unless the Dodgers plan on majorly overhauling the current infield or perhaps trading Max Muncy in the deal, I don’t see a trade happening, but with the Dodgers, you never know.
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