Cardinals' Top Projected Suitor For Nolan Arenado Is Complicated Fit

Much has been said about the future of St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.

Over the last year, he has been the subject of more trade rumors than the vast majority of players out there across Major League Baseball. Last offseason things were a bit different. He reportedly gave the Cardinals a list of five teams he would waive his no-trade clause for: the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros. The Astros came calling, but Arenado ended up shutting down the possibility of a deal.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Instead, he spent the entire 2025 season in St. Louis. That didn't stop rumors around the deadline, but nothing got done. Now, it's a year later and the team is in a similar situation. Arenado has two years left on his choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google and a no-trade clause. It has been reported over and over that Arenado may be more willing to waive the no-trade clause this offseason, but who could be the best fit? MLB.com's Mike Petriello tabbed the Los Angeles Angels as that fit.

Where could Nolan Arenado go?

"No. 1) Angels," Petriello wrote. "This might be it. This might be the spot. The Angels, 72-90 last year and having missed the playoffs for the past 11 seasons, might not be an obvious landing spot for a player hoping to find a contender. But they continue to operate as though they are, and the addition of Grayson Rodriguez surely opened some eyes across the sport.

"With Anthony Rendon completely out of the mix, the Angels had baseball’s weakest third base situation in 2025, a last-place ranking they’re projected to repeat in 2026. Although Arenado grew up in Southern California as a Dodgers fan, he attended high school in Lake Forest, which is far closer to Angel Stadium than it is Dodger Stadium. If he wants to get back home, he’ll never have a better chance than this."

The Angels fit because of location above all else. Arenado is from California, which is part of the reason why the Dodgers were speculated as a fit as much as they were last offseason.

More From Cheap Rs-flyfishing Jordan Outlet reported back in August that the Angels were interested in Arenado last offseason, but he shut the idea of a trade down.

Los Angeles makes sense based on the location and past interest, but with Arenado turning down the idea of a deal once, would he change his mind now? The Angels arguably are in a worse position than St. Louis. The Angels won just 72 games in 2025.

Even if Arenado is more willing to waive his no-trade clause this offseason, would he do so for a non-contender like the Angels? That's what's unclear. On paper, the Angels make sense, but there's more to this decision than just a team fit.

More MLB: Cardinals Announce Signing Of 4-Year Veteran Pitcher