MLB analyst claims Nolan Arenado's Dodgers move depends on $24,000,000 star's fate
After a subpar year by his standards in 2024, the St. Louis Cardinals were openly seeking to move third baseman Nolan Arenado last offseason.
Despite multiple clubs reportedly courting the Cardinals for a possible Arenado trade — including the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox — Arenado's insistence on retaining the no-trade clause in his original contract was a major deterrent. Negotiations with both organizations ultimately broke down.
According to insider Bob Nightengale, Arenado has dreamed of a move to the LA Dodgers for some time. Whether or not that move happens largely depends on the availability of the 2024 World Series champions’ current third baseman, Max Muncy.
"I do think that Nolan Arenado will get moved at some point," Nightengale said, speaking to Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation. "If something ever happened to (Max) Muncy or something like that, Arenado would do cartwheels to get to L.A., his hometown.
"He could have gone to Houston, turned that down. Could have gone to the Angels, turned that down, too. But he would jump up and down to have a chance to go to the Dodgers. But the Dodgers don’t need him with Muncy, and he still has some good money left (on his contract)."
Muncy is in the second year of his two-year, $24 million contract with the Dodgers, signed shortly after the 2023 season. The contract includes a club option for an additional year, worth $10 million.
Nolan Arenado talks about major adjustments that he made to prepare for the 2025 season
After a tough 2024, Nolan Arenado talked about the subtle but important changes he's made to his game heading into the upcoming season, speaking to MLB Network Radio.
"I think, as I've gotten a little older, there's certain balls that... I have to field a little differently, and I've noticed that," Arenado said. "It's nice to have Masyn [Wynn] there, who moves really well. But, I got an ego, so I still think I can get to any ball that I got to when I was 22.
"So, I'm still going for everything, and I'm not going to stop going for the ball until Masyn calls me off. But, he calls me off a lot because he can get to it too, so we have a good dynamic, but, like I said, I just want to be ready to go, I feel good, and I'm ready for everything."
As the Cardinals look to return to the playoffs after missing the past two seasons, fans will hope Arenado’s offseason work translates into results on the field.