Redbird Droppings: Blocked

Nolan Arenado has blocked a trade to Redbird Droppings

Not much in the headlines right now for the Cardinals; just more drama in the Nolan Arenado saga. There are also a few rumors around Paul Goldschmidt. And some former Cardinals are on the move.

Astros in on Arenado? Maybe Not anymore.
At the Winter Meetings, we learned that Arenado had 6 teams he’d approve a trade to; well, the Astros weren’t on that list but it was rumored that they were at one point and it made sense. Contender? Check. Need a third baseman? Check. Can afford his contract? Check.

The Astros have been talking to the Cardinals about acquiring Arenado; well, they were. Arenado has blocked a trade to Houston as of right now. He said he’s not interesting in the Astros at this point in time, but maybe later in the off-season.

For a guy wanting a contender, it’s strange to shoot down Houston; unless geography is part of the equation. Of the 6 teams he listed, the Angels haven’t been contenders in a while, the Padres are hit or miss, the Mets and Red Sox are making a case to contend, while the Phillies and Dodgers are there. It’s been no secret that the Dodgers are the preferred destination; it feels like he’s keeping his options open until the Dodgers call.

This is worst case scenario for the Cardinals. Arenado blocks trades until he gets the one he wants; with such a limited market, the Cardinals will get less than they should, which is truthfully not much anyways. Or that trade never happens and he’s on the club to start 2025.

As much as I don’t want to see Arenado go, he needs too. He’s declining, but he’s also not the guy the Cardinals need for the young guys; his leadership qualities, or lack thereof, led to the Cardinals signing Matt Carpenter and Brandon Crawford before 2024. He’s blocking Nolan Gorman from his natural position at third (which, let’s be honest, Gorman wasn’t very good there either), which blocks Thomas Saggese from second (Brendan Donovan will be the super utility guy, playing every day at a different position). Getting some of that money off the books is also important.

Goldschmidt’s Market
The market for Goldschmidt could be heating up soon. The first market has been pretty slow so far; Pete Alonso (#7), Christian Walker (#13), and Goldie (#35) were the only first basemen on MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free Agents (Justin Turner was an honorable mention) and none have signed yet.

Goldschmidt has been linked to the Giants and the Yankees recently; the Diamondbacks have an opening at first and are familiar with Goldschmidt already. There were some rumors of the Reds earlier in the off-season. Some feel the Twins are an option.

The Yankees could go with Goldschmidt, even after acquiring Cody Bellinger, to replace Anthony Rizzo; Bellinger is being slotted into centerfield, so first base is still open. There is also the possibility that they could go with Alonso as some sort of weird revenge against the Mets for signing Juan Soto.

The Astros are a dark horse after being spurned by Arenado; they acquired Isaac Paredes, who can play the corners, when they traded Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. The Astros could stick with Paredes at third and sign Goldie for first.

I feel like a few dominos need to fall before Goldschmidt signs, specifically Alonso and Walker; the real contenders will try to get one of those 2 first, then fall back to the aging first baseman when there aren’t other options.

Former Cardinals

• MLB Deals
  • Carson Kelly‘s deal with the Cubs was rumored during the Winter Meetings, and it’s been finalized this past week. He’ll receive 2 years, $11.5M with a $7.5M mutual option for 2027 ($1.5M buyout).
  • Short-time Memphis Redbird Jared Young received an MLB contract from the Mets, a surprise due to his limited MLB experience. After being released from Memphis mid-2024, he finished out the season with the Doosan Bears (KBO).
• MiLB Deals
  • Conner Capel (OF) received a minor league deal with the Braves.
  • Joe Hudson (C) received a minor league deal with the Astros.
  • Wilking Rodriguez (RHP) received a minor league deal with the Yankees.
  • Ali Sanchez (C) received a minor league deal with the Blue Jays; he’ll also get an NRI to spring training.
  • Ildemaro Vargas (IF) received a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks; he’ll also get an NRI to spring training.
• Foreign Leagues
  • Patrick Wisdom was designated for assignment by the Cubs a few weeks back; he received a contract from the Kia Tigers (KBO); no word on the terms of the deal.
• Designated For Assignment
  • Nick Raposo (C) by Blue Jays; his roster spot went to Yimi Garcia. Raposo was designated for assignment by the Cardinals last summer when they acquired Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham.

One name that was rumored to have signed was Alex Reyes; news broke this week he received an minor league deal from the Mets. That was debunked later in the day. This could be a good season for the Cardinals to take another chance on him; a minor league deal would be a low risk, high reward signing. Maybe with revamped minors, the Cardinals could help him figure out where things went wrong.

I’ll be back next week with more news, rumors, and former Cardinal movement.