Despite sitting in last place in the National League Central, Nolan Arenado isn't ready to shift his focus to the 2024 season. The St. Louis Cardinals have endured a miserable 2023 campaign. As a result, they are expected to sell ahead of the trade deadline. However, Arenado blasted the idea of planning for the future, per stltoday.com.
“I don’t think about next year,” Arenado said. “I think that’s a terrible strategy. I ain’t got time for thinking about next year. I’ve got to think about now and what I need to get done and try to help this team win.
“There’s no guarantees next year is going to be a great year either. And there’s no guarantees I’m going to be healthy next year either. So I think about now, going out and competing.”
Front offices have to find a balance of considering the present but thinking about the future. That is the exact situation the Cardinals are in right now, but more emphasis is placed on the future since St. Louis likely won't contend for a playoff spot in 2023. As a player, though, Nolan Arenado is thinking about right now.
Cardinals' future
The Cardinals are expected to trade a number of key players. However, the question is whether or not Nolan Arenado and/or Paul Goldschmidt will be dealt away. Goldschmidt is a much more likely option to be traded since he will hit free agency following the conclusion of the 2024 season. Arenado, who declined his opt-out in 2023, is locked into his current contract until 2028.
St. Louis would probably love to keep both Arenado and Goldschmidt on the roster for the foreseeable future. That will all depend on how willing the Cardinals are to lean into a rebuild. If they decide to completely tear it all down, then both superstars could be on the move. If, however, the Cardinals think they can compete in 2024, perhaps only some quick re-tooling will be necessary.
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