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Jesse Rogers
LAS VEGAS — A year ago, the St. Louis Cardinals nearly traded third baseman Nolan Arenado while pitcher Sonny Gray told the team he wanted to stay. This time around, both players could be on the move, beginning with Arenado, who has probably played his last game as a Cardinal.
«His time with the Cardinals has been really good,» Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, said from the GM meetings Tuesday. «We all feel it’s best to find a different fit. We’ll work on that, and we’ll work on that with him.»
Arenado, 34, battled injuries last season while hitting .237 with 12 home runs and a career-low .289 on-base percentage in 107 games. He has two years left on a nine-year, $275 million contract he originally signed with the Colorado Rockies before the 2019 season.
Arenado invoked his no-trade clause last offseason, turning down a deal to the Houston Astros, but Bloom indicated the time is right for Arenado to move on.
«We’re on the same page with Nolan,» Bloom said.
Arenado, whom Bloom called a «Hall of Fame player,» is an eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, but he hasn’t earned either of those honors the past two seasons. His options to be an everyday starting third baseman could be limited, as will be his suitors, league sources told ESPN.
Meanwhile, Gray also has a no-trade clause he was not willing to waive in past years. Bloom indicated Gray is more open to it this offseason.
«We’ve definitely been listening on him,» Bloom said. «He’s still one of the better pitchers in the league. With where we are and thinking long term … we feel like there might be something there that makes sense. We’ll continue to explore that.»
Gray, 36, went 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA last year while making every start for the Cardinals. That durability is attractive to teams, league sources told ESPN. So is his contract. He has one year left on a three-year, $75 million deal that includes a team option for 2027. The number of suitors could be «in the double digits,» according to another league source. Gray has pitched in the big leagues for 13 years, making the All-Star team as recently as 2023. He has a career 3.58 ERA in 330 starts.
St. Louis might move on from both players simply because it is in retooling mode and the two older veterans simply don’t fit anymore.
«It’s about building our core to where we can get this organization back to where it needs to be,» Bloom said of the team’s offseason strategy. «Taking the necessary steps — not taking shortcuts — to build this organization back to where we can compete for the division and World Series.»
