Cardinals' Nolan Arenado Will Not Be Traded Before Deadline, Exec John Mozeliak Says

Amid connections between the Los Angeles Dodgers' and St. Louis Cardinals' star Nolan Arenado, the organization seemingly took the third baseman off the market after team executive John Mozeliak reiterated that he wouldn't be traded.

Mozeliak made the definitive statement to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Saturday night, showing that he wants to keep Arenado around for as long as possible.

"I have stated we are not trading him, have not asked him to waive his (no-trade clause)," Mozeliak said. "So at this time, we are working on building future success."

Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times was the first to report that the Cardinals and Dodgers had engaged in talks over the 10-time Gold Glove winner earlier this week but that there were plenty of obstacles to any potential deal.

When Arenado was asked about the report Friday night, he told reporters that that he had not been approached by the team about his no-trade clause and added that he believed the front office was doing "its due diligence to make the organization better."

St. Louis is reportedly ready to offload its impending free agents ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline such as Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery and are looking to bring in some young pitching help.

The organization does not want to enter a rebuilding phase and is looking to get back into title contention as soon as next season, per Castillo. Retaining Arenado, who still has four seasons and $109 million remaining on a team-friendly contract, is a key piece to staying competitive.

After winning 93 games in 2022, the Cardinals have struggled this season, sitting last place in the NL Central, 10.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds and 10.5 outside of a Wild Card spot.

Arenado is having another terrific season coming off a campaign in which he finished third in MVP voting. He's batting .284/.332/.517 with a .849 OPS to go along with 22 homers and 77 RBI in 100 games.