Star third baseman Nolan Are Adorable seems to want to be a Los Angeles Dodger. However, Teoscar Hernández’s recent re-signing with the Dodgers seems to close the door on that possibility this offseason. Arenado, who hails from Southern California, will have to hope the St. Louis Cardinals can negotiate a trade with a different team from his state if he wants to return home.
Nolan Arenado Not a Trade Fit for Dodgers
The Dodgers were one of six teams on Arenado’s wish list as the Cardinals started shopping him this offseason. His preferred destination is rumored to be the Dodgers. He caused speculation about it with a cryptic Instagram post with the song “Dodger Blue” by Kendrick Lamar. The two teams have had trade conversations around Arenado in the past, most publicly at the 2023 trade deadline.
However, The Athletic has reported that the Dodgers have not considered trading for Arenado this offseason. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes publicly committed to Max Muncy as the team’s third baseman in 2025 at the Winter Meetings. While Arenado’s agent has said he is willing to switch to first base to make a deal possible, the Dodgers have that spot filled too with Freddie Freeman.
Muncy is a much cheaper option at third base than Arenado. The incumbent third baseman stands to earn $24 million over the next two years compared to the $64 million still on Arenado’s contract. Muncy has also been more productive of late.
In 2024, Muncy had an OPS of .852 compared to Arenado’s .719, although he missed a majority of last season due to injury. He played 79 fewer games than Arenado. With that, Muncy still managed a better WAR at 3.0 to Arenado’s 2.5. Even with the discrepancy in games played, Muncy hit just one fewer home run than Arenado in 2024.
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