With the St. Louis Cardinals having fallen well short of expectations so far this season, their fate as sellers at the August 1 MLB trade deadline has long been set. Most of the speculation has centered around potential trades involving Nolan Arenado, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery.
Whereas Flaherty and Montgomery are both due to become free agents after the 2023 season, Arenado has an additional four years remaining on his contract. Though, Arenado does hold a full no-trade clause.
It had been reported the Southern California native would waive that under the right circumstances, with joining the Los Angeles Dodgers one of them.
According to Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers and Cardinals have discussed an Arenado trade:
The Dodgers have engaged in talks with the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire the eight-time All-Star third baseman, according to people with knowledge of the situation but who are not authorized to speak publicly.
With the Cardinals looking to replenish their starting pitching pipeline, Dodgers prospects Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone have been among those targeted in Arenado trade talks:
The Cardinals would want young pitching in a deal; they have eyed Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Ryan Pepiot, and Emmet Sheehan in talks, according to people with knowledge of the situation. A trade would also likely include the Dodgers sending Max Muncy or Chris Taylor, if not both, to St. Louis.
Given the current state of the Dodgers rotation, trading at least one of Miller and Sheehan in a package for Arenado presumably would not be done unless receiving a starter from the Cardinals as well.
Stone struggled in his brief time up with the Dodgers and Pepiot is on a rehab assignment as he works to return from a left oblique strain suffered at the end of Spring Training.
Potentially including Muncy in an Arenado trade alleviates a logjam for the Dodgers. Muncy conceivably could play second base if he remained with the Dodgers, but that would impact the future of Miguel Vargas and Mookie Betts’ time up the middle.
Dodgers interest in Nolan Arenado
The Dodgers have long sought to acquire Arenado, including when he appeared to be on the verge of becoming a free agent. That was squashed when the Colorado Rockies signed Arenado to an eight-year, $260 million contract in February 2019.
Arenado later grew frustrated with Rockies ownership and sought a trade in 2021, but Dick Monfort refused to deal him within the National League West, much less engage with the Dodgers.
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