ST. LOUIS – As the St. Louis Cardinals stumble towards the end of a lackluster 2025 season, speculation rises about veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado potentially wrapping up his tenure with the team.

Arenado, renowned for being an eight-time All Star and a 10-time Gold Glove recipient, is regarded as one of the top third basemen of his era. However, from a performance perspective, the 2025 season has arguably been the most challenging of his career.

As the team enters its final home series, Arenado holds a batting average of .234, with 10 home runs and 45 RBI, numbers that are tracking towards some of the lowest in his major offensive categories.

Having just returned from the injured list on Monday after missing almost 40 games due to a right shoulder strain, the 34-year-old Arenado is concluding his fifth season with the Cardinals, with three more years remaining on his contract.

But given recent history, his recent struggles and prolonged return from injury, his future with the Cardinals appears to be very much in question.

The Cardinals are set to experience their second losing season in three years and have already embraced a cost-saving, youth-focused strategy this season. There was much discussion of trading Arenado last winter to aid in a roster “retool” or “reset,” but no agreement was reached before spring training began.

As the team’s future plans remain unclear, leaving them neither clearly in playoff contention nor fully rebuilding, the anticipation of Arenado trade talks is expected to resurface in the upcoming offseason.

That uncertainty is magnified with a looming front-office transition. After the season, longtime lead executive John Mozeliak will step aside and Chaim Bloom will take over as the President of Baseball Operations. Bloom will be tasked with building a future-focused roster, and likely under tight financial constraints like last year.

Whether Arenado fits into the Cardinals’ short-term or long-term vision remains to be seen, raising the possibility that this could be his last homestand in St. Louis.

Arenado briefly addressed his situation with St. Louis media members earlier this week:

“It seems like that’s where this organization is headed,” said Arenado before Monday’s game, referring to the Cardinals’ emphasis on younger players. “But what’s best for me is probably to come back healthy and show that I’m hitting the ball hard. But I think what this organization is heading toward is young players and letting them go. That just comes with the territory, and I see it.”

Arenado would ultimately have the final in any potential move out of St. Louis, as he carries a full no-trade clause. Last year, he limited his list of acceptable trade destinations to a small handful of teams and reportedly even blocked one deal nearing completion.

This offseason, while it’s possible he has potential trade preferences again, the situation could look different.

With or without Arenado, the Cardinals infield outlook already looks crowded next season. Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, and possibly even top prospect JJ Wetherholt, among other, will all compete for everyday opportunities. In theory, the depth could increase the likelihood of a trade.

Still, there’s at least some chance Arenado stays put, as suggested by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold in a recent live blog.

“Arenado’s list [of preferred trade destinations] is limited. And he’s been candid about how he has to play better to be more appealing to teams. Can that happen in the next few weeks, or will the Cardinals cover enough of his salary for a team to make that move? Those are real questions. And in the end, it’s possible that he prefers staying here to bouncing around to the unknown out there.”

The Cardinals (74-79) open their final home series of the 2025 regular season on Friday against the NL-leading Milwaukee Brewers (94-59). The Cardinals will close the 2025 campaign with road series against the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs next week.