KC legend has strong words for potential Nolan Arenado move

The offseason has gotten off to a relatively slow start across MLB, but that doesn't mean the stove isn't hot. The Kansas City Royals have already made a number of moves — including re-signing veteran Michael Wacha to a three-year deal and trading starter Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Weimer — but it's another team's trade rumors that have one KC legend riled up.

On November 26, B/R Walk-Off wrote on X, "Nolan Arenado is open to playing first base for a potential new team, per ," referring to trade rumors currently surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals' star third baseman. In response, Eric Hosmer — who played 13 seasons in MLB, including seven for the Royals — quickly reposted the original statement and added "Guy doesn't win a Gold Glove for the first time in 10 years and we're booting him off 3rd base already!?"

Hosmer's disbelief at the idea of Arenado changing positions is understandable. Arenado has earned 8 All-Star selections and 10 Gold Glove Awards at third base, so it's jarring to imagine him changing positions, even if it's to create roster flexibility in trade conversations.

Will Nolan Arenado be traded this winter?

When the Cardinals acquired Arenado in a trade with the Colorado Rockies in February 2021, they were a consistently winning team — but times have changed. After putting up an abysmal 71-91 record in the 2023 season, the Cardinals managed a winning 83-79 record in 2024, but they're a long way from being genuine contenders.

Now, St. Louis is using this winter as a "reset," according to President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak, who told Fox 2 that "this offseason is going to be different" for the Cardinals.

"As we approach our 2025 club, I still think this is going to be about opportunity, giving young players a chance to play and see what they can do," he said at the end of October.

The Cardinals' current roster is one of the oldest in MLB, and with Arenado now 33 years old, he's no longer included in the list of "young players." Add in the fact that he's owed $74 million over the next three seasons — $32 million in 2025, $27 million in 2026, and $15 million in 2027 — and the decision to trade Arenado away for a substantial return seems obvious.

According to The Athletic's Katie Woo, St. Louis has "been exploring Arenado’s potential trade market for weeks."

"As the winter meetings approach, talks are likely to intensify, and there is a growing sense throughout the industry that Arenado will be on the move," Woo wrote. "With a change in the organization’s operations on the horizon, Mozeliak met with Arenado in late September and explained the team’s strategy was shifting. According to multiple league sources, Arenado and Mozeliak were open to the possibility of a potential trade this winter."

The Cardinals' plans to move Arenado are complicated by the fact that his current contract includes a full no-trade clause, which Woo mentioned he would only waive "for an organization set up to contend for multiple seasons."

Still, Arenado has been clear about his desire to contend, and the Cardinals are unlikely to be in any playoff conversations in the next few seasons. If Arenado finds a new team that's a good fit, perhaps Hosmer will just have to get used to seeing the superstar playing at first base.