Top 3 Contenders For Nolan Arenado With Big Free Agents Off the Board

Alex Bregman is now in Boston. Pete Alonso is back in New York. Christian Walker signed with Houston. All the big free agent corner men have been signed, and almost all the teams that needed one have added one.

So where does that leave Nolan Arenado? The St. Louis Cardinals have been trying to find a trade partner for the 10-time Gold Glove third baseman all offseason, but so far, to no avail. His preferred destination, Boston, is out. He has a four-team list.

Insider Jon Morosi pegs either the Detroit Tigers (who were shunned by Bregman) or the New York Yankees as the most likely candidates.

"The Tigers and the Yankees to me are the two teams I am watching on a possible Nolan [Arenado] deal if not in the coming days, then sometime before Opening Day."

- @jonmorosi on #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/djSpjeWMfM
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 13, 2025

"There is still a slightly better than 50% he's traded before Opening Day..."

The Yankees need a legit third baseman, as do the Tigers, who put out a long-term offer worth over $170M to Bregman. If they were willing to do that, reasons Morosi, they should be willing to take on Arenado at a much cheaper price and for a much shorter term (3 years, $52M left on his contract).

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, however, the best fit would likely be the Chicago Cubs, who didn't bite on Bregman or any of the others.

What's next for Nolan Arenado? Well, one team that would be a theoretical fit would be the Cubs, one of the teams that missed out on Alex Bregman. They need a third baseman, while the Cards are trying to move the player and money... But St. Louis would have to get comfortable…
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 13, 2025

If you look at the Chicago Cubs' depth chart page, it actually currently shows a "--" (dash) at third base. Nobody seems to know who they'll go with at third this season. They signed journeyman/utilityman Jon Berti this winter, but he's not a full-time player.

Problem there, of course, is the long-standing bitter rivalry between the Cubs and Cardinals would likely get in the way of those two clubs making a trade.