If the St. Louis Cardinals have their way, Nolan Arenado will be playing elsewhere in 2026.
That much is obvious and has been the case over the last year. Last offseason, Arenado reportedly gave the team a list of just five teams he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause for. The vibe seemingly has shifted this offseason already. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has spoken openly about Arenado numerous times this offseason already.
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“We’re on the same page that it does make sense for everybody to find a different fit,” Bloom said in November, as one example. “Obviously, what that’s going to look like if and when that’s going to happen – I don’t have those answers yet. We’ve agreed on that (the fit). So now it’s really about how do we go about that?”
Where should Nolan Arenado go?
If Arenado is going to go, where would be a good fit? USA Today’s Gabe Lacques pitched landing spots for the eight-time All-Star and arguably the one that made the most sense was the Seattle Mariners.
“Hey, at least these clubs have a fairly recent track record making big deals,” Lacques wrote. “The Diamondbacks nearly pushed the Mariners across the finish line to their first World Series appearance, shipping them first baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez at the trade deadline, both players spearheading a run to Game 7 of the ALCS. The Mariners were so smitten with Naylor that they re-signed him to a four-year, $92.5 million deal. They still need to replace Suarez.
“Hmm. What makes Arenado a nice fit in Seattle is the notion of him serving as a bridge to the passel of elite infield prospects in the Mariners system. Seattle is in win-now mode, for certain, yet also has top prospects Cole Young – who debuted last season – and Colt Emerson banging on the door. Feinin Celesten lurks a little deeper in the system. With Naylor back in the fold and All-Stars Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez bearing much of the offensive load, Arenado could slide a little deeper in the lineup – he’d look nice in the five hole behind Naylor – and simply play elite defense at third.”
The Mariners made the first big move of the offseason by re-signing Josh Naylor. The Mariners made a deep run and came up just short of the World Series this fall. If Eugenio Suárez walks, then the Mariners will have a need at third base.
Seattle is a team that would give Arenado a chance to contend, unlike other speculative fits like the Los Angeles Angels. It also would bring him back to the West Coast.
Last year there wasn’t much interest in deals around the league for Arenado. At this point anything makes sense for St. Louis, but Seattle is a team that specifically would be good for Arenado as well.
