MLB off-season rumours: Arenado open to position switch in potential trade
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Cardinals shopping Arenado, who is open to position change
The St. Louis Cardinals are making a rare shift in organizational philosophy this off-season: They are committing to a rebuild.
Team president John Mozeliak has stated that the goal is to open more playing time for young players, and that a conversation with veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado about potentially being dealt to another team after season's end was met with acceptance.
Further, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports that Arenado is open to shifting to first base in order to help accommodate a deal.
Arenado, 34, is a 10-time Gold Glove winner at third base, and has taken home six Platinum Glove awards in his storied career. The eight-time All-Star hit .272 with 16 home runs and 71 runs batted in last season, his fourth with the Cardinals.
There are two factors that may complicate a deal: Arenado has a full no-trade clause, and he is still owed $74 million over the next three seasons.
Per multiple league sources, Arenado will only waive his no-trade clause to join a team expecting to contend in the coming years.
Beyond Alex Bregman, the free agent market at third base is limited. As with most major moves this off-season, the expectation is that a trade will not crystallize until outfielder Juan Soto makes his decision on where he will sign.
Juan Soto negotiations expected to go multiple rounds
Per The Athletic's Brendan Kuty, negotiations with Soto - the top free agent on the market - are expected to continue for multiple rounds.
The first round is expected to be 'preliminary,' in order to gauge interest from all parties. The following rounds will allow Soto and agent Scott Boras to weed out candidates and move towards a final decision.
Kuty thinks the timeframe points towards a contract being signed roughly around the time of the GM Winter Meetings, which start on Dec. 9.
MLB Network reported on Tuesday that five teams have made offers to Soto: The Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Soto has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting five times in his seven-year career. The 26-year-old hit .288 last year with 41 home runs for the Yankees.
Blue Jays looking at many options to fill closer spot
MLB.com's Keegan Matheson reports that the Blue Jays are far from done with their bullpen.
After non-tendering Jordan Romano, who was the primary closer from 2020-23, the Jays have a hole to fill at the back of their bullpen.
Toronto can look at free agents, trades and internal improvement. Matheson indicated that Yariel Rodriguez, who has closing experience pitching in Japan, could be an option for the closer role.
Rodriguez worked as a starting pitcher in 2024, where he held a 4.47 earned run average in 21 games with an ugly 1-8 record.