Nolan Arenado open to making huge change ahead of 2025 season

Oct 8, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after striking out to end the eight inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game two of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Nolan Arenado may be ready to pivot away from his longtime stomping grounds.

Katie Woo of The Athletic reports Tuesday that there is a growing sense around the baseball industry that the St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Arenado could be traded this offseason. Woo notes that the Cardinals have been exploring Arenado’s market for weeks and that both Arenado and the team have been open to a trade since the end of the 2024 season.

While the possibility of Arenado getting traded is something that we have known about for weeks now, Woo’s report shares another very interesting tidbit — that Arenado is open to moving to first base to create flexibility for a potential new team.

Arenado, 33, has been one of baseball’s premier defenders at third base for over a decade now, winning 10 Gold Glove Awards at the position (by far the most of any active player). He continues to be excellent at the hot corner as well, finishing fourth in defensive runs saved (26) and second in defensive runs above average (29.1) among all third basemen in 2024.

But Arenado, who still has three years and $52 million left on his contract, may be willing to give up his role at third base in order to facilitate a move to a contender. While the eight-time MLB All-Star Arenado does have a full no-trade clause (as well as zero career appearances at first base), the Cardinals are expected to shed some other aging All-Stars this offseason as well, so the two sides may inevitably be trending here towards a split.