Cardinals fans are spiraling over a Nolan Arenado instagram post thanks to John Mozeliak
Fans of all sports continue to rely on social media to get their news and to follow their favorite athletes. Social media has led certain fans to believe that New York Mets co-owner Alex Cohen following Juan Soto automatically means that he’s going to sign there. Social media has also caused St. Louis Cardinals fans to spiral a bit, thanks to Nolan Arenado’s latest Instagram post.
The post itself is far from problematic, as it’s just photos of Arenado enjoying the offseason. What has Cardinals fans freaking out, though, is the song he chose to pair with the pictures. The song, written by Kendrick Lamar, is titled “dodger blue.” Sure, Arenado could just be a big Kendrick Lamar fan, but it certainly feels as if there’s a reason that Arenado chose that song.
Arenado has been on the trade block ever since the regular season ended, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to him in the past. Could something be in the works?
Nolan Arenado’s cryptic Instagram post has Cardinals fans spiraling
Arenado hasn’t been traded yet, and recent rumors haven’t linked him to the Dodgers, but the song choice certainly makes it seem as if he’d be very excited by the idea of joining Los Angeles. Sure, Arenado is from Southern California, but the song choice is very clear.
What makes this post especially intriguing is that Arenado has a full no-trade clause. It’s been assumed that he’d be open to any trade that’d send him to any contender – and that might be the case – but Arenado is in complete control. If it’s Dodgers or bust in the mind of the 33-year-old, then he has the ability to make that reality by vetoing any trade that isn’t with the defending World Series champions.
On paper, several other teams make more sense than Los Angeles, but they do have the flexibility and, of course, the money, to make it work. The Dodgers could choose to move Max Muncy over to second base while sticking Arenado at third. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman would fill the other two infield spots creating one of the best infields ever, at least in terms of name value.
Cardinals fans understand that Arenado might’ve played his last game in St. Louis, but the Dodgers are far from a landing spot that they’d want to see given their recent history in October. Unfortunately, since John Mozeliak didn’t move Arenado earlier, his value is as low as it has ever been, and the Dodgers might be one of few teams Arenado wants
It’s been an open secret for weeks now that the St. Louis Cardinals want to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado at some point this offseason. After a second straight disappointing season, the team is looking to get younger and more financially flexible, and a declining 33-year-old third baseman set to make over $75 million over the next three years doesn’t exactly fit into that plan. And while other veterans like Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray have committed to sticking out the rebuild (sorry, “reset”), Arenado has at least expressed an openness to moving on — provided he gets sent to a pre-approved contender.
But while there’s no doubt that St. Louis wants to move on from Arenado, that sums up the problem: Every team knows the the Cardinals don’t want to keep him, and every team knows that he has a full no-trade clause and will only accept a deal to certain destinations. Combine that with a precipitous offensive decline over the past couple of years and a contract that will take him through his age-36 season, and you’ve got yourself a very tricky situation.
“Tricky situations” are not exactly where president John Mozeliak thrives. And based on his opening comments at the Winter Meetings, Cardinals fans shouldn’t get their hopes upMozeliak gave one of the most brutally honest quotes you’ll ever hear from a Major League executive on Monday afternoon. Appearing in front of the media for the first time at the Winter Meetings, he was unsurprisingly asked about the possibility of an Arenado trade. His answer? “It’s my intention to try.” Inspiring stuff!
Leave a Reply