The St. Louis Cardinals may be in the middle of fighting for an NL Wild Card spot, but that doesn’t mean rumors aren’t circulating about next season.
In an article for Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter writes that eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado and outfielder Lars Nootbaar could be traded before 2026 Opening Day.
“The Cardinals have been trying to move Arenado since the start of last offseason,” Reuter wrote, “and while he blocked a trade to the Astros in December, he has never ruled out accepting a move elsewhere.”
The 34-year-old third baseman is signed through 2027, and his front-loaded contract drops each year. Additionally, the Rockies will be paying $5 million of his 2026 salary, so Reuter believes the financials aren’t as daunting as they once were.
Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list last Friday with a right shoulder strain, and John Denton of MLB.com reported yesterday that he will report to Jupiter, Fla.—where St. Louis’ Single-A affiliate is based—to begin a rehab assignment this Friday.
The star third baseman was having a rocky season before the injury, recording career lows in batting average (.235), on-base percentage (.294), slugging percentage (.366) and OPS (.660) through 96 games. Still, Reuter thinks Arenado is a solid veteran presence and his defensive skills at third base will make an impact for any team.
As for Nootbaar, he was already drawing interest before the trade deadline, along with Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson.
“From that group, Nootbaar is the most likely to be moved,” Reuter wrote, “since he has one less year of club control than Burleson and does not provide the same defensive versatility as Donovan.”
Despite his struggles this year, Nootbaar is only 27. He has a career slash line of .242/.344/.415 over four-plus seasons in the league and is arbitration-eligible through 2027.