Around Major League Baseball, there should be multiple teams interested in trading for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman and future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado.
While Arenado might not be the player he once was, he’s still very valuable around the league, and outside of his contract, would be a decent player for a team to pursue.
When recently looking at teams that could trade for him, ESPN recently linked the Cardinals to a deal with the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners, currently in second place in the National League West, are 41-38 and six games behind the Houston Astros.
“Arenado is around a career best in strikeout rate, and he’s still an above-average defender, but his power and patience are both trending down to around the worst of his career. He’s still a solid starter but no longer a star, and the team taking him on a deal would still have to pay him like one. Potentially complicating any deal: a full no-trade clause,” they wrote.
The Mariners haven’t been too willing to spend money in recent years, and that’s a bit of an issue if they want a player of Arenado’s caliber.
However, at least on paper, Arenado would be a decent addition to their lineup.
The Mariners could use a right-handed bat, and he’d provide them with that.
He posted a 101 OPS+ a year ago and has a 95 OPS+ this season.
To start the year, Arenado was swinging it like one of the better hitters in baseball again, but he’s quickly fallen off.
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If the Mariners could get the Arenado of the old, who was a consistent 120-plus OPS+ hitter, perhaps it could work out for them. However, as the Cardinals have found out, there would be some risk in that.
