The St. Louis Cardinals have been a pleasant surprise in the MLB this season, staying competitive in the NL Central and sitting just a few games behind the Chicago Cubs.
Their roster blends emerging young talent with seasoned veterans like Miles Mikolas, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado—though Arenado has notably underperformed in 2025, prompting growing calls for the team to trade him.
The Cardinals front office, led by John Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom, has already made multiple attempts to move Arenado, even reportedly agreeing to a deal with the Astros that fell through due to his refusal to waive his no-trade clause. Other interested teams like the Tigers were not on Arenado’s approved list, while the Yankees and Red Sox quickly found other options. His subpar performance—marked by a .695 OPS and a .242 batting average—has only intensified the frustration.
Recently, St. Louis demoted Arenado in the batting order due to his struggles at the plate. Though he remains reliable defensively, his offensive decline has been evident and even Arenado acknowledges he’s fallen short of his own expectations.
With his power numbers dropping since his departure from Colorado and his confidence visibly shaken, the Cardinals may have missed their window to trade him while he still held solid value—something they seemed keenly aware of before the season even began.
