There were two potential roadblocks to an Arenado deal, one for each side, although the Angels have clarified their target. As Sammon and Woo note, St. Louis’ efforts to move the aging slugger are being stymied by fellow third basemen Alex Bregman And Eugene Suarez still on the market. Arenado would be a backup option for teams that fall short in pursuit of Bregman and Suarez.
The Angels’ third base situation was clouded by the status of Anthony Rendon. The oft-injured infielder had one year left on the disastrous seven-year, $245 million contract he signed after the 2019 season. Los Angeles resolved that situation yesterday by agreeing to a restructured contract with Rendon. The remaining $38 million of his deal is deferred over the next three to five seasons. Rendon will not return to the team in 2026. After the Rendon news: Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register mentioned Arenado as a possible trade target for the Halos.
Arenado is a SoCal guy, but that might not be enough to waive his no-trade clause to join the Angels. The financial aspects of the deal also need to be arranged. St. Louis has been able to move two of the three major veteran contracts so far this season, but both deals required cash to the player. The Cardinals sent $20 million to Boston in the US Son Gray agreement. They threw in $8 million to complete it Willson Contreras trade, which also occurred with the Red Sox.
Arenado has $42 million left on his current deal. The original eight-year, $260 million extension he signed with the Rockies expires after the 2026 campaign, but the Cardinals added another year for $15 million after acquiring him. Eating money into the Gray and Contreras trades allowed St. Louis to score MLB-ready starting pitchers in Richard Fitts And Hunter Dobbins. The Angels’ system isn’t exactly overflowing with talented starters, but players like it Mitch Farris, Jack KochanowiczAnd Caden Dana fit the Fitts/Dobbins mold as young arms with minimal MLB service time who could contribute to a 2026 rotation.
It’s easy to forget how good Arenado was in his first two seasons in St. Louis. He hit 34 home runs in his debut with the club and then delivered a monster 2022 that put him in the mix for NL MVP. Arenado slashed .293/.358/.533 and led the NL with 7.9 WAR that year (per Baseball Reference). Teammate Paul Goudschmidt took home MVP honors, but Arenado earned his fifth Silver Slugger award and his 10th consecutive Gold Glove award.
Arenado declined steadily over the next three seasons. He had decent results in 2023, hitting 26 home runs and finishing with a 107 wRC+. His power continued to decline the following year, when he posted a paltry .123 ISO and the first sub-.400 SLG campaign of his career. Arenado hit his nadir in 2025, dropping to .237/.289/.377 with just a dozen dingers. He also missed time with a shoulder injury. Arenado’s 84 wRC+ in 2025 was his worst performance since his rookie year in 2013 (excluding the shortened 2020 season).
Despite the decline at the plate, Arenado remains an above-average fielder and a solid contact hitter. If the cost is cheap enough, he could help an Angels team with an uncertain situation at the hot corner. The Halos were largely dependent on Yoan Moncada And Luis Rengifo last season at third base. Both players are now free agents. The current in-house options are Christian Moore, Oswald PerazaAnd Vaughn Grissom. The trio could all be candidates to play second base as well Kyren Paris also taking that position into account. The Angels have ranked third base in OPS each of the last five seasons.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images
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