Surprising Team Had Deal In Place For Nolan Arenado Before D-Backs Trade

The Nolan Arenado saga in St. Louis ended with the Arizona Diamondbacks landing the star third baseman for salary relief and right handed prospect Jack Martinez, but the twist is the Athletics were even closer than most people realized. 

Ken Rosenthal reported the Athletics had a deal in place with the St. Louis Cardinals first, and it only died because Arenado was not willing to sign off on it.

The Athletics reached a deal, then Arenado used his no trade clause

The Athletics were prepared to absorb more of Arenado’s contract than Arizona did, with the Diamondbacks taking on $11 million of the $42 million owed over the next two seasons, but Arenado preferred the Diamondbacks or San Diego Padres and may not have approved an Athletics move. 

Rosenthal: Athletics had a deal in place that would’ve landed them Nolan Arenado.

The A’s would've taken on more money than Arizona, but it was halted because Arenado indicated he preferred to go to the Diamondbacks and may not have approved a deal with the A’s. pic.twitter.com/2tmp4pOCyv

— SleeperDiamondbacks (@SleeperDbacks) January 20, 2026

Arenado still carried serious pull with his no trade clause, and at 35 in April with two years left on his deal, he appeared focused on landing somewhere with a more convincing October path than a club still building toward its Las Vegas future. 

Why Oakland pushed so hard for Arenado in the first place

Third base is the obvious soft spot on a lineup that already has real pieces, and even an older Arenado would raise the floor with his resume, which includes eight All Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves, six Platinum Gloves, and five Silver Sluggers. 

The Athletics already brought in Jeff McNeil to stabilize second base, but the hot corner still leans on young options, with Max Muncy coming off a 2025 line of .214/.259/.379 with nine homers and 23 RBI in 63 games. 

Nolan Arenado hit .315 with 41 HR’s in his final full season as a Rockie….

He hit .237 with 12 HR’s in his final season as a Cardinal….

Nolan used the muscles of motor tract 1 on his right side in Colorado. He’s been using the muscles of motor tract 5 for the past couple of… pic.twitter.com/JHEAIoos6X

— Prehension Athletics (@tommym8) January 20, 2026

That's why the idea of adding a veteran of Arenado’s caliber made sense for a team trying to look serious about contending again.

Oakland went 76-86 last year and is still playing in a temporary minor league park environment, while the Diamondbacks look far more likely to fight for a Wild Card spot even with the Los Angeles Dodgers looming over the division.

Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images