The St. Louis Cardinals missed the postseason for the second straight year after finishing 83-79.
It was the first time the team missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
While the Cardinals organization has seen a lot of success in recent years, the team will reportedly take a step back next season and focus on developing its young players.
The news has sparked trade rumors involving some of the Cardinals’ star players, and the team has now allowed their star third baseman to seek a trade.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale via B/R Walk-Off “X,” the Cardinals have given Nolan Arenado’s agent permission to talk to teams about a possible trade.
The Cardinals have given Nolan Arenado’s agent permission to talk to teams about a possible trade. @BNightengale: pic.twitter.com/HPbn64S35o
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 10, 2024
Arenado is a 12-year MLB veteran who entered the league in 2013 with the Colorado Rockies, where he played eight seasons before coming to the Cardinals for the last four.
The eight-time All-Star could change teams again before the 2025 season now that the Cardinals have cleared him to seek a trade.
In 2024, Arenado played 152 games for the Cardinals, where he batted .272 with 16 home runs, 71 RBIs and a .719 OPS.
Arenado is known for his offense, but he’s also a stellar third baseman, as shown by his 10 Gold Glove Awards.
The Cardinals may be parting ways with many of their veteran players, but Arenado probably doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild at this stage in his career.
Arenado will be another name to keep an eye on as the MLB offseason continues.
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