MLB insider lets unfortunate Nolan Arenado-Angels rumor slip in latest column

Coming off of their worst season ever in 2024, the Angels were incredibly aggressive in the offseason in order to put the franchise nadir behind them with both moves they made and moves they could not. Some moves they made were signing Yusei Kikuchi and trading for Jorge Soler, a couple moves they did not make were signing Pete Alonso and trading for the Cardinals' Nolan Arenado -- who at one point allegedly listed the Angels as a team he would waive his no-trade clause for.

The Arenado-Angels trade rumors were not exactly making many headlines even before that report was proven false, but there was intent from Perry Minasian and the Angels' front office to bring the future Hall of Famer to Anaheim according to Bob Nightengale of The USA Today:

"The St. Louis Cardinals are not receiving any interest in third baseman Nolan Arenado after he rejected trades this winter to the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels."

Did...did he just say Angels? Let's analyze this and pretend this is not just another Bob Blunder.

MLB insider lets unfortunate Nolan Arenado-Angels rumor slip in latest column

The Cardinals were actively exploring trades for Arenado in order to shed payroll heading into 2025. Fans and pundits expected Arenado to wind up a member of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox or Houston Astros during trade rumor season. When Arenado shot down a trade to Houston, nobody expected he would accept a trade to their division rival Angels. If the Nightengale report is true, it will be incredibly interesting to hear if the Angels tried to grab Arenado before or after he spurned Houston.

Few fans expected the perpetually penny-pinching Angels to actually take on most of Arenado's salary (he has three-years, $52 million left on his deal), and also give up prospects from their barren pipeline, in order to acquire a 34-year-old player coming off of two down-seasons in St. Louis. Well, turns out they actually did want to do that! Kudos to them for trying, even if it would have been an imperfect fit. Again, this is assuming Nightengale is reporting the two sides had a trade in place that would have went through should Arenado did not have to give it the OK.

Since the Angels signed Anthony Rendon their third base position has been an absolute clown car, so it makes sense that they would try and right the ship with a player like Arenado -- a durable veteran who's great in the clubhouse, plus has a history with Mike Trout (via Team USA). His defense and leadership are a force multiplier for teams he plays for, and it does not hurt that it would have helped merchandise and ticket sales.

The Angels have been rolling with Yoán Moncada and Luis Rengifo at third base this season. Arenado has played in more than double the games than Moncada, although Moncada has a higher OBP, SLG, and OPS than Arenado at this point in the season and is much cheaper. It's hard to say that the Angels are better off without a player bound for Cooperstown, and it's another tough pill to swallow for fans who are sick of being the laughingstock of the league.

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