Mozeliak: Trading Arenado is 'Priorities 1, 2, and 3'
The St. Louis Cardinals are still hoping to find a suitable trade partner for third baseman Nolan Arenado.
President of baseball operations John Mozeliak called moving him "Priorities 1, 2, and 3" for his club, with other needs still needing to be addressed, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"There is still time. Obviously, by the time we get to Jupiter and open up camp, we would like to have some closure," Mozeliak said. "That's not to say we will."
"We're going to have to be patient throughout the next 8-10 weeks to see where it gets us. We'll continue to try to find a place that he's happy with, and we'll use our time as best we can on that."
Facilitating an Arenado trade has proven easier said than done. He exercised his no-trade clause earlier this offseason to block a deal with the Houston Astros, who have since pivoted elsewhere.
The Cardinals would've absorbed roughly $15 million of the $74 million remaining on Arenado's contract in that trade and aren't looking to take on more in the eventual swap, per Goold.
St. Louis has talked with the Boston Red Sox, but nothing has materialized as they remain interested in free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman.
Arenado, winner of 10 Gold Glove awards, hit just 16 home runs with a .719 OPS (101 OPS+) across 152 games in 2024. He's just two seasons removed from a top-three finish in NL MVP voting.
Nolan Gorman is one of several internal candidates to play third base for the Cardinals if Arenado is ultimately moved.