BREAKING: Cardinals Are Getting the Least Bang for Their Buck With This $275 Million Deal

Cardinals Are Getting the Least Bang for Their Buck With This $275 Million Deal
One of St. Louis’ highest-paid players isn’t living up to expectations.

Despite a strong start to the season and sitting just three games behind the Cubs in the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals are facing a major issue: Nolan Arenado’s performance doesn’t match his hefty contract. The team has managed to stay competitive thanks to a solid mix of young talent and experienced players like Miles Mikolas, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Arenado. However, the latter’s struggles in 2025 have made his $275 million contract look increasingly like a financial misfire.

The Cardinals front office, including John Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom, have repeatedly explored trading Arenado. At one point, they nearly finalized a deal with the Houston Astros, but Arenado used his no-trade clause to block the move. Other interested teams, like the Detroit Tigers, weren’t on the list of clubs he was willing to be dealt to. The Yankees and Red Sox had shown previous interest but quickly found other options.

This has left the Cardinals stuck with a 34-year-old veteran whose numbers are underwhelming — a .695 OPS and a .242 batting average with little power. St. Louis has even dropped him in the batting order due to his ongoing slump, though his defensive game remains strong.

Arenado, always a tough critic of himself, acknowledged the lineup change was deserved.
“We switched the lineup [because] the guys are playing well in front of me, and the guys who were hitting behind me, they should move up in front of me,” he said.

But the deeper issue may be Arenado’s fading confidence. Once a feared slugger and NL MVP, his power numbers have dipped since leaving Colorado, and he admitted he’s unsure if he can return to form.

“I don’t really have an answer,” Arenado said. “Just play better, play more the way I think I’m capable of. But it’s been a minute since I’ve felt like I could play the way I should. So I don’t know if it’s coming back or not.”

For Cardinals fans, that uncertainty is frustrating — and it underscores why the team was eager to move him before the season while there was still some value left in the contract.