St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado sparked curiosity when he traveled three hours from the team’s spring training facility in Jupiter, Florida, to Tampa for Wednesday’s exhibition game against the New York Yankees—just four games into Grapefruit League play.
The Yankees had reportedly shown interest in acquiring the 10-time Gold Glove winner earlier in the offseason.
Some speculated that Arenado made the trip to showcase himself to New York, but after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, he dismissed that idea.
“I didn’t come here for that,” Arenado told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “It’s only the third day of spring training. That wouldn’t be a good time to showcase myself. I’m not ready for that.”
Instead, Arenado explained that his trip was to catch up with Yankees players Paul Goldschmidt, his former Cardinals teammate, and DJ LeMahieu, whom he played alongside for six seasons with the Colorado Rockies. Additionally, he wanted to maintain his on-and-off playing schedule to avoid taking two consecutive days off.
The Cardinals prioritized trading the soon-to-be 34-year-old this offseason to create opportunities for younger players and address financial concerns. Arenado is set to earn $64 million over the next three seasons.
However, any potential trade is complicated by his full no-trade clause. Reports indicate Arenado would consider approving a deal to teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Angels, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox. In December, he exercised his no-trade clause to block a trade to the Houston Astros.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently emphasized the need for patience regarding a possible Arenado trade.
“Could something happen in the next week? Possibly. Could this go into camp? Possibly,” Mozeliak said. “So, I don’t have a definitive answer. Patience is required.”
Over his 12-year career, Arenado has compiled a .285/.342/.515 slash line, surpassing 40 home runs three times while being widely regarded as MLB’s top defensive third baseman. However, his offensive production has declined in recent years, with his OPS falling from .891 in 2021 to .774 in 2022 and .719 last season.
Regardless of Arenado’s status, the Cardinals are set to begin the 2025 season against the Minnesota Twins on March 27.
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