DALLAS – If the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pursuit of Juan Soto signaled anything, it’s what we already knew: They should always be considered a looming factor when a star becomes available.
But with the St. Louis Cardinals looking to trade All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, don’t expect the Dodgers to be in play. League sources strongly indicated to The Athletic that a deal for Arenado is not a possibility the organization has considered. And Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said on the record Monday that Max Muncy would be the team’s third baseman on Opening Day.
“Muncy’s going to play third base for us,” Gomes said. “He’s such a big piece of what we do and has been a staple. So yeah, Max is playing third base.”
The speculation around Arenado’s potential fit with the Dodgers was strong enough that Muncy, in an appearance on “Foul Territory,” said he would be willing to move positions to accommodate a move. He later added, “As long as I get to stay, I don’t care who they bring in.” Los Angeles has long been viewed as a desirable landing spot for Arenado, who has a no-trade clause, and the Dodgers broached trade discussions with the Cardinals as recently as the 2023 trade deadline. Arenado is an Orange County native who attended El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif.
Arenado’s agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, said Tuesday that “Nolan is willing to strongly consider (a trade) … but he’s not going to go just anywhere.” Wolfe added that Arenado seeks “a team that he thinks is going to win now and consistently for the remainder of his career.”
But a fit doesn’t make much sense for the Dodgers, whose infield appears in place: Muncy at third base, Mookie Betts at shortstop, Gavin Lux at second and Freddie Freeman at first.
Arenado is owed $74 million over the remaining three years of the eight-year, $260 million contract he initially signed with the Colorado Rockies in 2019. While the veteran is open to playing other positions, the 34-year-old’s offensive production has taken a hit since he finished third in NL MVP voting in 2022. Since then, Arenado has been worth a combined 4.9 Baseball-Reference WAR, with a .746 OPS (104 OPS+).
Muncy, 34, is entering the second season of a two-year, $24 million extension he inked last offseason and the Dodgers hold an affordable $10 million club option for him in 2026. The veteran has repeatedly stated his desire to spend the rest of his career in Los Angeles and has remained productive in the batter’s box. Over that same two-year span as Arenado, Muncy has been worth 5.6 WAR with a .823 OPS (125 OPS+) — despite Muncy playing 88 fewer games due to injury.
At the price point, and given the production the reigning World Series champions have already gotten at the position, Arenado has never seemed to be much of a fit.
The Dodgers remain focused on potentially adding another corner outfielder, particularly re-signing Teoscar Hernández, to go with the club’s signing of Michael Conforto to a one-year, $17 million deal earlier this week.
— The Athletic’s Katie Woo contributed to this report.
(Photo of Nolan Arenado: Paul Halfacre / USA Today)