The new leader of the front office says it's "not an option."
According to new St. Louis Cardinals front office leader Chaim Bloom, releasing longtime superstar Nolan Arenado is not an option this offseason.
While releasing Arenado might not be an option, it's clear that the Cardinals want to trade him, and it's also clear that they may not get a whole lot for him.
In fact, Buster Olney of ESPN had this to say about Arenado on our sister Mariners' sites 'Refuse to Lose' podcast (earlier this offseason).
Nolan Arenado: If you look at the production he's had in the last four years, his OPS has gone down dramatically each year. I think it was, four years ago, 2022, it was .871, and then it was down to like .791. And then .771, and in this most recent year it was a .666 ops. There are questions about if his defense is going to be as good. Basically, if you're signing up for Nolan Arenado at this point, you're looking at a right-handed hitting platoon player. And as you know, teams, with the roster constraints that they have, that is a very specialized type position where to add a guy like that...
About Arenado
One of the best players of the 2000s, Arenado is a 13-year veteran of the Colorado Rockies and Cardinals. He is a lifetime .282 hitter with 353 homers and 1,184 RBIs. He's got seven seasons of 30 homers or more, but has seen his production fall over the last few years, as Olney noted.
Now 34 years old and about to be 35, Arenado saw his OPS+ fall to 87 in 2025 while hitting just 12 homers and bringing home 52 runs.
An eight-time All-Star, he is a five-time Silver Slugger, a 10-time Gold Glover and a six-time Platinum Glove winner. He is still owed $31 million in guaranteed money over the next two seasons, and there's a slew of contract deferral money coming later as well.
Could the Cardinals keep him?
They could, if they don't find a suitable offer. In trading Arenado, the Cardinals will have one of two goals:
1) They could get the acquiring team to take on most of the salary, and not get much at all in return.
2) The acquiring team could have the Cardinals take on more salary, but give up a better prospect to do it.
If those goals aren't met, the team could hold him, hope he plays better in the first half, and then try to flip him at the deadline. However, as a veteran who wants to win, Arenado may be more receptive to moving this offseason to a better situation.
More Cardinals stories
If Willson Contreras stays, he could start catching again
Little-remembered Cardinals pitcher Fernando Valenzuela does not make Hall of Fame
Cardinals reportedly interested in Royals pitcher Noah Cameron
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!