One of the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball is available via trade. The St. Louis Cardinals announced that Nolan Arenado would be shopped around this upcoming winter. With that in mind, plenty of teams should line up to grab #28.
Per FanGraphs, Arenado had the 11th highest fWar this season with 3.1 amongst third basemen. This was the third highest on the Cardinals, whose highest fWar contributor was shortstop Masyn Winn with 3.6.
Nolan can still pick it at the hot corner, earning a 9.1 defensive rating per FanGraphs. This was good enough for the third-best in the National League.
His offensive numbers have taken a step back over the past couple of seasons. A player of his stature should be a leader in the clubhouse offensively, but with an average at-best lineup, Nolan didn’t seem to stand out. He might not be the caliber of hitter who an offense relies on these days, but he is still above average with the stick.
Arenado does not strike out very often, which can be an attractive outlook from teams looking to cut back on their strikeout rates. He still contains 20-25 home run potential in his bat and can drive in runs at a solid clip. Surround him with talent, and you will get the best version of him.
The following three teams would be the most logical targets for Nolan Arenado.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are four wins away from a World Series championship. While Yankees fans are worried about their next week of action, the front office should be keeping an eye on the Nolan Arenado market.
New York was a team without a third baseman in 2024. Oswaldo Cabrera played the most games at third base (74), before the team added Jazz Chisholm from the Marlins at the trade deadline. Chisholm was naturally a second baseman who moved to center field in Miami. He then was placed at third base for the Yanks. He has played fine in the role, but his 7 errors in 45 regular season starts is not ideal.
Chisholm will be under contract with the Yankees through the 2025 season. He could get an entire off-season to work at third base. With longtime second baseman Gleyber Torres’s contract expiring, New York could move Jazz back to second base.
This would once again open a hole at the hot corner. The solution? Nolan Arenado.
Arenado would be an upgrade defensively for New York and fill a potential hole in the lineup with the exit of Torres.
The future Hall of Famer would mesh well in the Yankees locker room and wouldn’t be a vocal point on the club. Aaron Judge and potentially Juan Soto would be the “big dogs,” letting him go to work in peace. While the New York market is larger than Colorado and St. Louis, he wouldn’t be the top dog in New York. This might allow him to regain confidence at the plate and continue stacking up Gold Gloves at third base.
A potential lineup can look like this:
- A. Volpe (R) SS
- J. Soto (L) RF
- A. Judge (R) CF
- G. Stanton (R) DH
- J. Chisholm Jr. (L) 3B
- A. Rizzo (L) 1B
- N. Arenado (R) 3B
- A. Wells (L) C
- A.Verdugo (L) LF
Seattle Mariners
After finally making it back to the postseason in 2023, the Seattle Mariners were primed for a breakout year in 2024. At one point the club was crushing this past season, leading the division by over 10 games. The outlook in Seattle could not have been better.
Then things took a turn for the worst. Seattle struggled to score runs and, despite an excellent starting rotation, could not manage to win ballgames.
The Mariners ended up firing manager Scott Servais and made a few trade deadline deals to breathe life back into their season. Despite ending the year with a winning record (85-77), they did not make the playoffs in 2024.
Offense is going to be the name of the game for the club in the 2025 off-season. Adding at the minimum one bat, if not two, should be at the top of their priority list. A potential fit for Seattle would be Nolan Arenado.
Third base was occupied by Dylan Moore and Josh Rojas in 2024, and while they had fine seasons, their upside does not come near what Arenado can bring to a club. The gold glove third baseman would be an upgrade over Moore and the other options that Seattle currently has. Getting a productive hitter who doesn’t strike out that often would be really beneficial for their team.
Arenado can slot right into their lineup and fill a hole the team had in 2024. The Mariners have to make a splash this off-season, and this can be a step in the right direction.
- V. Robles (R) LF
- J. Rodríguez (R) CF
- C. Raleigh (S) C
- J. Polanco (S) DH
- L. Raley (L) 1B
- N. Arenado (R) 3B
- M. Haniger (R) RF
- J. Crawford (L) SS
- D. Moore (R) 2B
Detroit Tigers
After an unexpected yet thrilling path to the playoffs, the Detroit Tigers are now in a position to build. They should be a club this off-season that looks to add talent in a quest for the AL Central title in 2025.
For Detroit, they mostly have a revolving door at the third base position. Gio Urshela started the most games at the hot corner for the Tigers in 2024. He was let go by the team on August 18th, allowing him to seek out a deal with a potential playoff team. Gio landed with the Braves shortly thereafter.
The Tigers need to find a third baseman, and I believe Nolan Arenado can be that player. He would be an instant upgrade defensively over any other option on the roster, bring veteran leadership to a young team, and if he can regain his offensive game, he would be a home run addition.
St. Louis is mainly looking to unload his contract; therefore, the trade package for Nolan wouldn’t be expensive. The Tigers can get away with a cheap Major League player and/or two minor league players for the future Hall of Famer.
Salary-wise, the Tigers are freeing $10 million from the expiration of Kenta Maeda’s contract. Arenado’s deal is worth $21 million in 2025, $16 million in 2026, and $14 million in 2027.
A potential lineup can look like this:
- M. Vierling (R) DH
- R. Greene (L) LF
- N. Arenado (R) 3B
- A. Ibáñez (R) 2B
- W. Pérez (S) RF
- S. Torkelson (R) 1B
- P. Meadows (L) CF
- J. Rogers (R) C
- T. Sweeney (L) SS
Matt Watson Media 
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