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The St. Louis Cardinals are facing the music, embracing their status as a selling club prior to the trade deadline as evidenced by their decision to trade away closer Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets on Wednesday. It's not like the Cardinals have a bad team; despite their 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, they have a 55-55 record and in theory could make a late push for the postseason.
But considering how well the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs have been playing, one would think that the Cardinals are rather unlikely to make a push for the playoffs, especially when they have to overturn a 5.5-game deficit and pass two teams just to be the third and final Wild Card team in the NL.
Thus, more trades could be in order for the Cardinals. In particular, veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado could be the next to go, especially as this could free up a spot on the everyday lineup for a younger option at the hot corner. Arenado is bracing for all options with his and the Cardinals' future hanging in the balance in the next day or so.
“It’ll probably be fine [without a trade], but we’ll let it play out and see where it goes,” Arenado told reporters after the Cardinals' loss to the Marlins on Wednesday.
Arenado has two more years left on his contract after the 2025 season, and he'll be making $16 million in 2026 and then $15 million in 2027. Considering how badly he's struggled this season, it's not a guarantee that he'll get his wish to play for a contender, unless the Cardinals eat a significant portion of his contract.
On the season, Arenado is slashing .235/.294/.366 with 10 home runs and 43 runs batted in. This is the worst season of Arenado's career, continuing his worrying trend of declining play over the past few seasons.
Can Nolan Arenado turn things around — for the Cardinals or another team?
Arenado has been so good for so long that it can be difficult to believe how badly he's been struggling in 2025. But perhaps there is reason to believe that the Cardinals veteran can bounce back even for a little bit, even if not to the level he was when he was at his best.
His BABIP is currently the worst of his career; perhaps with his career-best strikeout rate, this suggests that he's swinging at everything and failing to make good contact. Even then, if his BABIP bounces back, his overall production from the plate should improve. And he's still a surehanded presence at third base, which could make him valuable for any team in the looming stretch run.
