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The Cardinals begin a new era.
The deal that sent Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox proves that, yes, Chaim Bloom must start at the bottom again with the Cardinals.
We suspected it, but now it's clearer than ever: the Cards will take the next few years to rebuild.
We know that Willson Contreras has a chance of staying, but that Nolan Arenado's chances of freeing up a third-cushion spot in St. Louis are really good.
The guy is more likely than ever to leave, and everyone has said so publicly. But the problem is, under current conditions, it wouldn't be surprising to see several teams simply pass on him.
And if that's the case, don't expect Arenado to stay in Missouri. Even though he's still due $37M from the Cards in 24 months, Buster Olney raised the possibility of St. Louis releasing him before the start of the 2026 season. Wow.
It seems inevitable that the Cardinals will either trade or release Nolan Arenado before the start of the '26 season; if so, Willson Contreras will be the last St. Louis player with a contract for 2027. Unless he's traded.
– Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 25, 2025
When a reputable journalist raises a theory like this, it's not by chance. I'm not saying it's going to happen… but it's possible.
Contracts are guaranteed in baseball, which means that the club (which will do anything to trade him with a huge salary holdback before cutting him) would give him tens of millions of dollars to stay home.
And from there, another team could offer him the minimum salary for the 2026 season.
Arenado can already control his destiny via his no-trade clause (he did so last winter by saying NO to the Astros, among others), but being a free agent, he could control his destiny even more by signing at a discount with the club of his choice.
That said, if he were to be traded, it would not only be less hard on his pride, he'd have two guaranteed years on his contract… and he'd be a lot harder to release, if need be.
Cutting a guy at minimum wage isn't a difficult decision. Cutting him from his big contract is.
It's a shame it's come to this with Arenado, who's still good defensively, but doesn't really hit well anymore. He's likely to be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day, and he's always wanted to stay in St. Louis – even to the point of staying at a discount a few years ago.
In fact, right now, the Cards must be thanking God he didn't sign an even bigger contract three years ago…
I wonder, no matter how he changes address, what kind of role he'd be willing to take on. Does he want to play every day? Would he like to take on a bench role to give himself a chance of winning a ring?
These are the questions that arise for the man whose star has unfortunately faded recently.
- Kevin Kiermaier gets a lot of calls to help outfielders from different teams.
Kevin Kiermaier says his phone has been blowing up after he made his pitch to help revolutionize outfield defense for teams and players.
He's also keeping the receipts from @AJPierzynski12.
pic.twitter.com/mm0MAWDtTQ
– Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 25, 2025
- One more spot on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster.
#BlueJays announce they've placed LHP Easton Lucas on unconditional release waivers.
The 40-man roster will be at 37.
– Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) November 25, 2025
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