There was a point during the offseason when it felt like a strong possibility that Nolan Arenado would become a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The St. Louis Cardinals were openly shopping Arenado, and it was reported repeatedly that the Dodgers were one of the teams on Arenado’s shortlist that he would waive his no-trade clause.
But as time progressed, and as the Dodgers made more and more moves adding talent, it began to feel less likely that a deal would get done.
Katie Woo of The Athletic just dropped a detailed report on the offseason trade saga, and according to her, “the Dodgers never matched Arenado’s interest, instead committing to Max Muncy as their everyday third baseman.”
Los Angeles Dodgers Were Never That Interested In Trading For Nolan Arenado
Adding the Southern California native felt like the perfect fit for the Dodgers and Arenado, but having to trade assets while inheriting his nearly $52 million contract, when he and Max Muncy have a lot of similarities began to seem unwise.
Both Arenado and Muncy are coming off of down years in 2024 and each had very similar statistics.
- Nolan Arenado 2024 Stats: 152 GP, .272 AVG, 16 HRs, 71 RBIs
- Max Muncy 2024 Stats: 73 GP, .232 AVG, 15 HRs, 48 RBIs
The biggest difference is that Muncy dealt with injuries throughout the 2024 season and only played in 73 games.
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Muncy is in the final year of the 2-year deal he signed back in 2023. He carries a total salary of $14.5 million in 2025, roughly $6 million less than what Arenado is due this year.
The Cardinals had hoped that the All-Star third baseman would have been off of their books by the time Spring Training began. For now, it looks like he will remain with the Cards, and we can put to bed any chance of him donning the Dodger Blue.