While the last few seasons have not gone the way that the St. Louis Cardinals expected, the new president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, is here to correct the franchise's future. After trading away veteran starter Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, it appears that the rebuild is in full bloom in St. Louis. Next up could be third baseman Nolan Arenado. ESPN's Buster Olney speculated via X, formerly Twitter, that if the Cardinals can't trade Arenado, they may consider releasing him.
“It seems inevitable that the Cardinals will either trade or release Nolan Arenado before the start of the '26 season; if so, Willson Contreras will be the last St. Louis player with a contract for 2027,” posted Olney on Wednesday afternoon. “Unless he's traded.”
An Arenado trade basically feels inevitable at this point. After former president of baseball operations John Mozeliak failed to deal Arenado in his final season in charge, the task now falls to Bloom. Arenado left his projected final home game with the Cardinals before the first inning, as he was ceremoniously removed by manager Oli Marmol. Now, as Arenado looks to find a new home, what value can Bloom get for the aging third baseman?
Chaim Bloom looks to rebuild the Cardinals with potential veteran trades
While the Gray trade didn't bring the biggest return, it did feel like a salary dump in a sense. Yes, Gray is 36 years old and was likely pretty happy to leave the Cardinals. However, giving Boston Gray plus $20 million to help cover his contract should have garnered more than a couple of pitchers who might not pan out, in right-hander Richard Fitts and lefty Brandon Clarke.
After failing to get a bigger return for Gray, it's reasonable to ask what Bloom will be able to get for not only Arenado, but also Contreras and utilityman Brendan Donovan. The Cardinals need more talent ready to contribute not only right now, but for the long haul as well. Even if it means paying more salary to get a better return for players like Arenado and Contreras, Bloom will have to do better than what he received for Gray. If he doesn't, then it could be a much longer wait to return to the postseason for St. Louis and its fans.
