Rumored Dodgers trade target ends up with Dbacks after begging to come to LA

Last offseason's perpetual conversation around Nolan Arenado and the Dodgers was exhausting. As soon as the Cardinals made it very clear that the No. 1 priority of their offseason was getting his salary off the books, he threw up multiple — and very unsubtle — signs that there was only one place he wanted to end up. (Attaching Kendrick Lamar's "dodger blue" to an offseason Instagram post was about as unsubtle as it could get).

What proceeded was a confusing back-and-forth between Cardinals insiders. John Denton of MLB.com kept insisting that the Dodgers were interested but were downplaying it, while Katie Woo of The Athletic, then on the Cardinals beat, wrote that no such interest existed. Dodgers fans were far more inclined to believe Woo, given that Max Muncy had third base locked up in LA. Lo and behold, Arenado stayed where he was for 2025.

It wasn't for lack of trying on the Cardinals' part. They tried to ship him to the Astros, but Arenado exercised his no-trade clause to block the deal. Their efforts haven't been as desperate this offseason, but maybe pulling back a little and refraining from literally begging other teams to take him helped a bit.

On Tuesday, Woo reported that the Cardinals were in deep talks to send Arenado to the Diamondbacks. Jeff Passan confirmed the trade had been finalized.

Nolan Arenado ends up in the NL West — but not with the Dodgers — after begging for a trade to LA

Arenado is expected to waive his no-trade clause to allow the deal to go through, and the Cardinals are receiving pitcher Jack Martinez along with cash to pay out the rest of Arenado's contract. According to Woo, Arenado and the Cardinals both made concessions to try to get something across the line; Arenado agreed to widen his scope of teams, St. Louis agreed to pay out more of his deal.

The Dodgers dodged a bullet on this one. Arenado still has the chops at third base, but his bat is nowhere near what it used to be, and his 2025 season in St. Louis was arguably the worst of his already declining career. Swapping Muncy out for him could've strengthened the Dodgers' infield defense, but it's well-documented that they care very little about that if it means sacrificing power.

If it's any consolation to Arenado, at least he still ended up in the NL West. Yay?