We are starting to get a better look into the inner workings of the St. Louis Cardinals.
St. Louis has been in plenty of rumors since it was knocked out of playoff contention. The Cardinals fought until the end for a National League Wild Card spot, but things didn’t work out in their favor. St. Louis missed the playoffs again and now is going back to re-evaluate the organization and make changes.
There surely will be some small changes made and maybe even some massive ones, too. St. Louis has been in trade rumors lately, as some have discussed the Cardinals’ high-priced starts. Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras both have no-trade clauses, and it seems as though, at least right now, neither want to be moved.
Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado also has a no-trade clause and has been in trade rumors already, too. It’s unclear what his preference is, but the team will begin gauging interest in a trade with other teams at least, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold.
“One of four veteran players with no-trade clauses who sought to be Cardinals because of the club’s history of contending, Contreras told the club that he would like to stay with St. Louis and not seek a trade,” Goold said. “(John Mozeliak) confirmed that exchange. He has talked with the three others: Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Miles Mikolas. Mozeliak declined to detail their wishes. Arenado’s agent and Gray’s agent declined to comment on the conversations. Mozeliak said at least one player was open to the club exploring interest from other clubs. Gray told the Cardinals that his preference is to remain with them, two sources described…
“The Cardinals have not advanced any trade discussions to a point where they go to a player with possibilities. As this month progresses, the Cardinals are expected to gauge which teams have interest in Arenado and what they will offer, multiple sources described. At that point, the Cardinals can take information about potential suitors to Arenado for his consideration.”
From this quote, it seems clear that Arenado at least hasn’t closed the door on a possible move. The Cardinals will see what the interest is like out there and go from there. Arenado has three years left on a $260 million deal and will be interesting to watch this winter.
