The Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado as a potential trade target this offseason.
Arenado, 33, doesn’t exactly fit into the Cardinals’ plans as they head toward a rebuild in 2025. He’s also due $74 million over the next three seasons.
Arenado has a no-trade clause in his deal, meaning he can essentially pick his next team as long as the Cardinals can find common ground with them. And this week, the list of teams Arenado would accept a trade to was revealed.
The Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox are the six teams on Arenado’s wish list, per MLB.com. Additional reports surfaced that he would accept a trade to the New York Yankees, too.
While the Dodgers make sense as a preferred trade destination — considering he’s from Southern California and wants to win — a move to the reigning World Series champions is unlikely.
“League sources strongly indicated to The Athletic that a deal for Arenado is not a possibility the organization has considered,” Fabian Ardaya reported this week. “With the St. Louis Cardinals looking to trade All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, don’t expect the Dodgers to be in play.”
The Dodgers don’t have room or a need for Arenado. While Arenado is a 10-time Gold Glove award winner at third base, the team is very happy with Max Muncy, who general manager Brandon Gomes assured would be the starting third baseman next season.
“Muncy’s going to play third base for us,” Gomes said at the Winter Meetings. “He’s such a big piece of what we do and has been a staple. So, yeah, Max is playing third base.”
While Muncy could technically move to second base to make room for Arenado, that move just doesn’t make sense for the Dodgers. Taking on $74 million for three seasons makes even less sense.
So, while Arenado might prefer a trade to the Dodgers — his social media activity definitely hinted at it — that rumor can essentially be put to rest.
