MLB rumors: Possible Dodgers-Cardinals Nolan Arenado trade gets Chris Taylor twist

Will the Los Angeles Dodgers trade for Nolan Arenado? The question begins with whether or not the St. Louis Cardinals will even trade the star third baseman

“Rival execs say that if the Cardinals are going to move Nolan Arenado, who is owed $64 million, they expect St. Louis would have to either eat some salary or take on a contract a trade partner wants to move,” Buster Olney of ESPN wrote Saturday on X, formerly Twitter. “Chris Taylor is owed $17 million on his deal. If LAD wants him, seems like there is middle ground to be found.”

The Cardinals will have to take on some of Arenado’s salary in all likelihood if a trade were to come to fruition. If a potential suitor were to add a player with a lucrative contract, though, it could catch the Cardinals’ attention. They would not need to pay as much of Arenado’s salary, although they would be taking on another possibly expensive contract.

It should be noted that Taylor has a $12 million club option for 2026, an option that will likely not be picked up by either the Dodgers or another team barring a bounce-back 2025 campaign.

. Arenado is set to make a lucrative amount of money through the 2027 season, so the financial element will be a factor.

The St Louis Cardinals are starting a rebuild this offseason. They hired Chaim Bloom to set up their minor league scouting department, signifying a change in organizational direction. A personnel move that could do the same thing is a trade of Nolan Arenado. The third baseman has been at the forefront of trade rumors this offseason and things are heating up, with the Yankees and Dodgers in the hunt. NJ.com’s Randy Miller reported the latest on WFAN Sports Radio in New York.

One guy that could be a possibility [for the Yankees] is Arenado from St. Louis,” Miller said, per MLB.com. “I think the Cardinals are trying to trade him, St. Louis would have to pick up some of the money and maybe the Yankees could have a deal where they trade some prospects.

Miller continued, “I keep hearing it’s going to be either the Yankees or the Dodgers — I think he’s a West Coast guy that would prefer to go to the Dodgers and I think the Dodgers want him.”

The Yankees could use the surehanded infielder, as they struggled on defense all of 2024. Jazz Chisholm was solid at the hot corner but his natural position is second base. Arenado would be a welcomed addition to the Bronx.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers already have a logjam in the infield. With Freddie Freeman at first and Shohei Ohtani at DH, Max Muncy has been playing third and improved at the position. Someone would have to find a new position if this move went down.