All-Star Trade Candidate Posts ‘Dodger Blue’ on Instagram
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado posted a series of photos on his Instagram along with Kendrick Lamar’s song “dodger blue” from the Los Angeles rapper’s new album, GNX.
Arenado’s cryptic post caught the attention of several fans as it is widely known the Cardinals are shopping the third baseman this winter. Some of the photos included in the post featured the All-Star around Los Angeles, which could easily be the reason Arenado used Lamar’s new song.
Arenado, 34, was born in Newport Beach and was raised in the Orange County area. Being a Southern California native, it makes sense the third baseman embraces homegrown rappers such as Lamar.
There are some reports that Arenado is willing to play at either corner next season to make a trade happen. The Cardinals have been exploring the potential trade market for the 10-time Gold Glove winner throughout the offseason, but there has been little to no indication that Arenado would land with the Dodgers.
There are a few teams that have expressed interest in Arenado and the trade talks are likely going to intensify as the winter meetings quickly approach. There is strong speculation that Arenado will land with a new team by the end of the offseason; however, the Dodgers haven’t been linked to the third baseman.
Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that Arenado will be traded since the move would be quite complex due to his full no-trade clause and the remaining money on his contract. Arenado is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause for an organization that is poised to be a contender for several seasons.
Arenado’s win-now mentality certainly matches with the Dodgers’ efforts to embrace a golden era of Los Angeles baseball. The third baseman has been transparent about his desire to play meaningful baseball.
There aren’t several third-base options on the market this winter, aside from Alex Bregman. In the end, Arenado’s choice of song in his recent Instagram post could simply mean nothing outside of music preference.
However, some would say Arenado is dropping a hint toward his preferred trade destination.
Photo Credit: Briana Sanchez / American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Load em up! Lets geaux Dodgers!
Let NY keep Soto. N
He’s not a good fit for the Dodgers
This last year feels like he’s crested the hill. I’d ride another year with. Max .
A perfect catch. I’ve been wanting Nolan at 3rd for a decade. Do it. It would make the Ds a killer team.
Three or four years ago would have been a good time to acquire Nolan. Like another commenter says: “he’s crested the hill”. I agree. The year before last I made a comment to a friend of mine (who is a Cardinal fan) that he looked like he was slowing down. That is two years in a row where he has just missed a Gold Glove after a ten-year stretch. He is still a great fielder. But a step slower. Through 2022, he had 100 RBIs in seven out of eight years. The last two years he missed. Maybe because of St. Louis’s bats around him. But maybe it makes no difference. Yes, still a good player. But Max is no slouch as a fielder at third. And he had a higher WAR in half the plate appearances. Stay the course.