Recently, Bob Nightengale published a list of major league players who could potentially be moved this offseason. It’s unclear just how available all of these players actually are, but it seems worthwhile to take a look at some of them to see if they’d be someone the Phillies should or could realistically pursue in a trade.
First up is Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
The background
Arenado began his career in Colorado where he had five straight top 10 MVP finishes and earned eight Gold Gloves, meriting comparisons
to Mike Schmidt.
The Cardinals traded for him prior to the 2021 season, and while he made the All-Star Game in his first three seasons in St. Louis, the past few years have seen his numbers take a significant downturn.
Why he might be available
Father time is undefeated, and he appears to have already gotten the advantage in this matchup against Arenado. Arenado will turn 35 at the start of the 2026 season and appears to be solidly in his decline phase. His OPS has decreased in each of the past three seasons and was down to .666 in 2025. He also missed some time with a shoulder injury. And while he’s still an above average defender, his Gold Glove winning days may be behind him.
Cardinals’ general manager Chaim Bloom has basically said that they’re trying to trade him and will likely be willing to pay some of the $42 million he’s owed for the next two seasons. Arenado has a no trade clause, but the consensus is that he would be willing to waive it.
Why the Phillies would be interested
The Phillies need to make some changes, and one of the easiest spots to make a change would be third base. Alec Bohm has seemingly plateaued as an okay player and is one season away from free agency. If Arenado can get his offensive numbers back to near his 2024 range (.719 OPS, 16 home runs), his defense would make him an upgrade over Bohm.
Why the Phillies would not be interested
The Phillies’ resources are limited in both money to spend and trade chips. Even assuming the Cardinals’ asking price isn’t outrageous and they’re willing to take on a chunk of Arenado’s salary, do the Phillies want to spend their limited resources on a player who would be only a minor upgrade at third base?
It has been suggested that the Phillies trade Nick Castellanos for Arenado in a “swap problematic players” deal, and if the Cardinals would be willing to take a package consisting mostly of Bohm and Castellanos, then sure, the Phillies should jump. Otherwise, it seems like the Phillies should look for more substantial upgrades elsewhere.
