According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly interested in trading for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado. Nightengale writes that Joel Wolfe, Arenado’s agent, has spoken to the Phillies about a potential deal. Arenado has a no-trade clause, which complicates any possible deal. Nightengale writes that if Arenado is traded, it will be to a contender. The Phillies would likely be a team Arenado would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to. With the team in win-now mode, the Phillies fit what Arenado is looking for. If Arenado were traded to the Phillies, it would lead to a major roster shakeup for the Phillies.
One reason the Phillies are in the conversation for Arenado is they have had trade talks with other teams about Alec Bohm. In trade talks with the Chicago White Sox for Garrett Crochet, an offer from Bohm and Justin Crawford was rejected, according to Nightengale. The Seattle Mariners, according to the Seattle Times, have talked to the Phillies about Bohm. It remains to be seen if the Phillies will trade Bohm. The Phillies’ interest in Arenado indicates Bohm will be traded this offseason. Bohm is free agent eligible after the 2026 season. This helps make Bohm an attractive trade candidate to other teams. Bohm made the All-Star team for the first time last season as well.
Phillies Eyeing Acquisition of Veteran All-Star Infielder
In 152 games last season, Arenado had a .272/.325/.394 line with 16 home runs and 71 RBI. Arenado had a 102 wRC+ along with a .314 wOBA last season. Additionally, Arenado had a 14.5% strikeout rate and a 6.9% walk rate in 2024. Arenado has seen a concerning drop-off in key offensive numbers in the last few seasons. In 2021, his first season with the Cardinals, Arenado hit 34 home runs while driving in 105 runs. The following year, in 2022, Arenado had 30 home runs and 103 RBI. Arenado had 26 home runs and 93 RBI in 2023. Meanwhile, Arenado went from 149 wRC+ in 2022 to 106 wRC+ in 2023. According to Baseball Savant, Arenado also ranked in the 39th percentile in chase rate last season. Not great for a Phillies lineup that needs to improve in the plate discipline department this offseason.
Arenado A Fit In Phialdelphia?
Another concern with Arenado is his contract. Arenado has three years and $74 million left on the contract. As part of the Arenado trade to the Cardinals before the 2021 season, the Colorado Rockies are on the hook for $5 million each year for the remaining three years. The Cardinals will need to eat some of that contract or take on a comparable bad contract to get a deal done. If the Phillies trade for Arenado, they need to ensure the Cardinals take on Taijuan Walker and the $36 million left on his contract over the next two seasons. The Phillies should not simply take on Arenado’s contract in a hypothetical trade scenario. A hypothetical trade package that would see Walker and Bryan Rincon go to the Cardinals for Arenado is a reasonable deal. In this scenario, the Phillies take on Arenado’s contract while the Cardinals take on Walker’s.
Main Photo Credits: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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