MLB Rumors: Cardinals May Have Found A Trade Suitor For Nolan Arenado
It looks like the Los Angeles Angels are officially stepping into the Nolan Arenado trade conversation.
Multiple reports have tied the St. Louis Cardinals third baseman to Anaheim after the Angels cleared their third base logjam by restructuring Anthony Rendon’s contract, effectively ending his run with the club for 2026.
Angels third base is suddenly wide open
With Rendon no longer in the 2026 plans, the Angels have an obvious need at the hot corner and Arenado checks the best real MLB third baseman box they can find via trade. There is also a market wrinkle working in the Angels' favor, because Arenado is being viewed as more of a fallback option while teams sort through other third base choices first.
If the Angels go get Nolan Arenado their 3B position will go from:
— Dish (@D1SCHER) January 1, 2026
Big money 3B who does not care about your team or the sport
To:
Big money 3B who has declined in production and doesn’t care about your team
Nolan A-Rendon-o
And even with the dip in production lately, Arenado still brings a resume that plays anywhere: eight-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, five-time Silver Slugger, and a former NL home run leader at his peak, plus a long track record as one of baseball’s best defenders at third.
What the Cardinals want, and why the money matters
Arenado still has significant money left on the deal, and reports have suggested the Cardinals would likely need to include cash, just like they did in other veteran moves earlier this winter.
“I need to be traded to a winner.” -Nolan Arenado
— Benjamin Duchek (@benduchek) December 11, 2024
The Angels are on his list #stlcards pic.twitter.com/BGQeIYCX2U
On the field, the selling point for any buyer is that the glove is still trusted, but the bat has slid, with Arenado coming off a rough 2025 line of .237/.289/.377 with 12 home runs, along with missed time due to injury. The Angels can talk themselves into it anyway if the price is right, because they need stability at third and can hope a change of scenery helps him rebound even a little.
If this deal gains traction, it's probably because the Angels see Arenado as the best name plus defense option without getting dragged into a bidding war for the top free-agent third basemen.
Photo Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
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