Cardinals not expected to trade away $260 million third baseman
One decision already appears to be made. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Cardinals are expected to hold on to third baseman Nolan Arenado after the team couldn't find any valuable offers.
'The Cardinals are planning on keeping third baseman Nolan Arenado through the deadline with no teams showing strong interest in him since he rejected potential deals to the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels,' Nightengale wrote.
Arenado is in the midst of a down season offensively, batting .244 with 10 home runs and a career-low .688 OPS. He has seen his offensively numbers dip steadily since 2022, when finished third in NL MVP voting.
Additionally, Arenado still has three years, and roughly $52 million left on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2028.
Due to his sizable contract and decreasing production, it's no surprise the Cardinals are having a tough time finding a suitor for Arenado. For now, it appears Arenado will stay in St. Louis, but a lot can change in 11 days, so it will still remain something to monitor all the way through the trade deadline.
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