All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado may be on the trading block and his time with the St. Louis Cardinals may be limited, but manager Oliver Marmol made it very clear about where he would like to see Arenado play for the near future.
When asked on Monday at the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas about if he would like to see Arenado “stick around,” Marmol didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“You know what, my answer is, ‘yeah,'” Marmol said.
While Marmol may like to see the 33-year-old Arenado continue his MLB career in St. Louis, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters on Monday that, “It’s my intention to try” to find a trade partner for Arenado.
Now past his fourth season playing for the Cardinals after being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Rockies, Arenado is still owed $74M over the next three seasons. With St. Louis looking to trim its payroll, the efforts to find a trade partner for Arenado have picked up steam this winter.
Still, for now, Arenado remains a part of a revamped St. Louis lineup. Marmol was asked on Monday about Arenado’s mindset in the midst of rumors and uncertainty.
“Positive,” Marmol said. “Nolan right now is operating in a space of ‘I’m here and I’m working toward getting myself ready as a player to have a productive year,’ and he still does a good job of connecting with all the young guys. So until that’s not the case, if that’s what comes out of this, he’s going to operate the way he’s operating right now until he no longer has to.”
While Arenado may have a positive mindset about his own situation, Marmol also emphasized Arenado still is very positive about the Cardinals franchise as well.
“He always has,” Marmol said about Arenado thinking highly of the Cardinals. “If there’s a time where that’s not the case, then it’s a part of the business. But until that happens, he is investing in the Cardinals.”