The trade deadline passed almost two months ago. Teams have already put the finishing touches on their rosters for the year. But just a few days prior to the trade deadline, rumors began to circulate about a potential trade between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The rumors were ultimately put to rest, as Nolan Arenado was not traded. And it remains unlikely that the Cardinals will trade him. However, he wanted to be traded from the Rockies back in 2020 after they refused to build a contending team around him. Something similar took place this last offseason, when the Cardinals only signed Willson Contreras and didn't add any pitching, despite John Mozeliak seemingly convincing him that they would.
Arenado ultimately opted in for the remainder of his contract. The Cards have a solid nucleus in place that features Arenado, Contreras, Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman, Brendan Donovan, Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar, and Nolan Gorman, which should help them bounce back into contention in 2024, so long as they add pitching to their roster.
MLB Rumors: 3 solutions for Cardinals, Nolan Arenado
Pitching remains the top priority for the 11-time World Series champions. Their rotation and bullpen both faltered this season, and as a result, a 10-24 start took them out of contention right from the beginning.
Still, they need to fulfill their promise and do what the Rockies failed to do, which is to build a contending roster around the perennial MVP candidate.
The Cardinals could trade him to the Dodgers for pitching
This is highly unlikely, given that Arenado has repeatedly stated that he wants to be in St. Louis and win with the Cardinals. However, that doesn't mean that it's completely off the table.
Back in July, the Cardinals and Dodgers had discussed a trade involving Arenado, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. That trade obviously didn't happen, but the rumors could still hold some weight. According to John Denton, who covers the Cardinals for MLB.com, Arenado previously expressed frustration with the team's front office, as well as the desire to not play on a rebuilding team.
The Cardinals are already eliminated, but if Arenado's frustration boils over, they could revisit the idea of a potential trade with the Dodgers. Any trade involving Arenado would get the Cards a massive haul in return, and they could potentially add some key young pitchers in such a deal.
Pitchers such as Emmet Sheehan, Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, or even Gavin Stone could be had in a potential trade. While this remains unlikely, the Cardinals already have a strong offense and could place Nolan Gorman, Tommy Edman, Jordan Walker, or even Brendan Donovan at third base if a trade happens. Their pitching staff remains unbalanced, and that is the key weakness that will need to be addressed this coming offseason.
Arenado could ultimately decide to waive his no-trade clause for a deal to the Dodgers if he remains frustrated with the way things have gone in St. Louis this season. But the Cards hope to contend next season, which makes this the least likely option.
The Cardinals could trade for Dylan Cease
Another option for St. Louis would be to give the Chicago White Sox a call and see if they can make a deal for Dylan Cease.
This would take a massive haul, but the White Sox would more than likely be interested in younger assets. The Cardinals have a ton of young talent on the position player side. With players such as Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker, Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman, and Lars Nootbaar on the roster, a deal could be had for Cease if the Cardinals are willing to part with some of their young position players.
It hasn't been a very good season for Cease. The White Sox right-hander has struggled to the tune of a 4.66 ERA, which is typically not what a team looks for in a so-called "ace." But adding that ace-level pitching would give the Cardinals a serious boost as they try and bounce back in 2024.
It would also assure Arenado that the Cardinals are committed to winning and ensuring than another season like 2023 doesn't happen again. And despite his struggles this year, Cease was second in the AL Cy Young race behind Justin Verlander last season, posting an ERA of 2.20 with the White Sox.
Cease is also a strikeout machine. St. Louis is in desperate need of more swing-and-miss pitching in their rotation and their bullpen. Cease has fanned 207 batters in 172 innings of work and would be a solid addition.
The Cardinals could sign pitching
If the Cardinals want to win and show Arenado that they don't plan to go into a rebuild, another way to do that is to shop for pitchers in free agency, both for the rotation and bullpen. The pitching staff as a whole is what killed the Cardinals postseason hopes.
But pitchers such as Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, and Sonny Gray will be available. All three would profile as ace-type pitchers which could give the Cardinals a chance to reach the postseason and go deeper in 2024.
Arenado came to St. Louis with the goal of winning a championship. The front office hasn't delivered on that yet, but they have a chance to do that this coming offseason, and if they do, they can ensure that beyond a shadow of a doubt, Arenado will be happy in St. Louis and will continue to want to win as a Cardinal.
It's going to take multiple pitchers for the Cardinals to return to their perennial postseason contender status. Arenado never had a chance to win consistently in Colorado, but he has also only played in three postseason games as a member of the Cardinals.
Fans can only hope the front office will deliver on their promise to build a contender in St. Louis and keep Arenado happy. 2023 was a failure beyond anything the team could have imagined, and it's up to the front office to ensure that 2024 is not a repeat of what has been a dreadful season.