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A trade rumor involving St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado just sparked. However, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol remains impressed with his star's professionalism. While players can sit out and make it a distraction to the team, Arenado has done everything but that.
Marmol explained via John Denton of MLB.com how Arenado has handled the situation has been textbook.
“I think ‘pretty well’ would be an incredible understatement,” Marmol said on X (formerly Twitter). He’s as pro as you can possibly be. He’s channeled everything into preparing himself to be the best player possible to help us get to where we need to get to. There’s zero distraction, and he’s locked in on being here and maximizing every bit of his talent. He’s in a really good place.”
Even with Spring Training reigniting some of those rumors, Arenado has remained a pro. His teammates and manager have embraced it. The front office, on the other hand, has been adamant about finding a trade partner. Both sides want out, but the front office has been more vocal about it.
Still, Arenado holds the cards with his no-trade clause. This is also a full no-trade clause, meaning that he gets to decide where he wants to go, no matter the stipulation. Either way, the Cardinals slugger has remained committed to the team until a deal is reached with another team.
Cardinals' Oli Marmol sees Nolan Arenado as a positive example
Marmol's quote shows the respect he has for Arenado. Also, it shows the respect that Arenado has for the team, his managers, coaches, and his teammates. He's not willing to quit on them just because the team can't find a trade suitor. Even though he had a down year for his standards in 2024, he might be trending upwards.
The defense will always be there, even if the offense is taking a bit of a decline.
As Spring Training continues to ramp up, it'll be a time when young players in the Cardinals organization can appreciate Arenado. It's not often that a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner has this mentality. Although he may want to be out of the team, he doesn't want that to impact the team.
The Cardinals will likely begin their season with Arenado on the roster. No matter what, he'll look to have a better season than 2024. He didn't even make an All-Star game. That could be a motivating factor for Arenado to make himself a prized target for a barrage of teams.
