The Los Angeles Dodgers have a few areas of the current roster to address this offseason, with a right-handed bat being one of their most pressing needs.
While Teoscar Hernández is a natural fit and candidate to fill that void, recent reports have presented another option as the St. Louis Cardinals are looking to complete a Nolan Arenado trade.
One hurdle to that, however, is Arenado having a full no-trade clause. He invoked that protection this week to block a trade between the Cardinals and Houston Astros. It’s believed the Southern California native is holding out hope of finding his way to the Dodgers.
with the report that St. Louis Cardinals third baseman, Nolan Arenado, is being aggressively shopped around. Having $74 million remaining on his current deal, with some deferred money added in, make it more than just a player-swap.
According to Mark Feinsand, John Denton and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Dodgers and Cardinals working out an Arenado trade remains unlikely:
A Southern California native, Arenado would surely waive his no-trade to go to the Dodgers, but sources said that Los Angeles – which has Freddie Freeman at first base, Mookie Betts at shortstop and Max Muncy at third base – is currently not a potential candidate to trade for him.
Max Muncy provided the Dodgers with a ton of value for the contract he’s on, and Arenado’s last two seasons with the Cardinals were underwhelming. Arenado’s ideal move is for Los Angeles to make it work, but the financial hurdle is a large obstacle.
Since 2021, Arenado owns a 117 wRC+ with 106 home runs, 372 RBI and 295 runs scored. He’s logged 34.6 defensive value, one of the best marks at third base around MLB.
Nolan Arenado’s remaining contract
Arenado still has three years and $74 million remaining on a contract extension he signed with the Colorado Rockies in 2019. The Rockies are still on the hook for $5 million of Arenado’s salary in each of the next two seasons.
The 33-year-old is owed a $32 million salary in 2025, $27 million the following year, and $15 million in 2027 but $12 million of that is deferred.
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