As I write this, we are only a few days away from the beginning of the MLB Winter Meetings. There seems to be a consensus that the St. Louis Cardinals will be active, but what will President of Operations Chaim Bloom and his team accomplish over the next week? Let’s make some somewhat educated guesses.
As a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan, I’m guessing that you have done a lot of what I’ve done over the past few weeks and that’s a lot of watching and listening. It’s difficult to filter out the wild trade guesses that sports writers are tossing out that are only reality in their imagination from those that are based in some type of team/players dialogue. Here are my St. Louis Cardinals Winter Meetings predictions based on the buzz that I’ve been tracking.
Nolan Arenado will not be traded at the Winter Meetings – While it’s been reported that finding a new home for Nolan Arenado is a priority for the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason, I don’t believe this gets done between December 7 and December 10. I’ll give you two words for the reason why: Alex Bregman. It’s been reported that the Chicago Cubs are now interested in Bregman. The Detroit Tigers also apparently have some level of interest along with the Boston Red Sox that he just opted-out of a contract with. I think that Nolan Arenado remains a Cardinal until the teams waiting on Bregman’s decision reach a verdict which is eerily similar to what we watched happen last season.
Here’s why a Nolan Arenado trade could still happen at the Winter Meetings – I believe that Chaim Bloom does not want to risk having a repeat of what happened last off-season when very limited opportunities came and went without finding an acceptable trade that Nolan would approve. If a reasonable trade opportunity is made available for the St. Louis Cardinals to move Nolan Arenado, I can envision Bloom and his team jumping on the chance and getting it done. The Los Angeles Angels are one team that will not be in on Bregman who might present the Cardinals a landing spot for Nolan without eating too much of his salary. Maybe.
Brendan Donovan will be moved in a blockbuster deal at the Winter Meetings – There is just too much talk about Brendan Donovan around the league for a big trade not coming together. The argument could be made that the St. Louis Cardinals have not been “blown away” by offers so far, but Brendan’s value has never been higher than it is right now and I believe that Chaim Bloom knows that. The Seattle Mariners are the most recent team that appears in on Donovan, but there are at least a dozen others that could step in and make the deal the Cardinals want done.
JoJo Romero will also be traded during the Winter Meetings – The Seattle Mariners are reportedly looking at JoJo as one of at least of two pieces they’d like to add to their bullpen. Could it be that the St. Louis Cardinals could work out a truly blockbuster deal that includes both Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero? I can only imagine the players the Cardinals could demand for both Donovan and Romero.
Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker will not be traded during the Winter Meetings – There are many very knowledgeable baseball people that have come up with many reasons why the St. Louis Cardinals need to move on from either Gorman, Walker or both. I believe that Chaim Bloom knows he would be selling extremely low on either or both players. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield outlook for 2026 is also troubling which makes me believe that Walker won’t be going anywhere. I saw a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report that claims Jordan Walker is happy with new swing adjustments, but we heard that last winter, too. There is one scenario where I could see Gorman or Walker being moved and that’s if they are a part of a much larger trade package.
A St. Louis Cardinals catcher will be a part of a trade package completed at the Winter Meetings – I saw a few commenters mention this when we shared the news that the St. Louis Cardinals signed Yohel Pozo to a major league deal. Could it be that Jimmy Crooks or one of the other St. Louis Cardinals catching prospects get moved in a deal? Count on it.
Wild Cards – It’s possible that the St. Louis Cardinals could sign a veteran pitcher during the Winter Meetings although I highly doubt I’m going to see my Max Scherzer Missouri homecoming dream come true. I found it interesting that Chaim Bloom mentioned the value of bringing in a veteran arm during his press conference about the Sonny Gray trade. No, you won’t see a 7-year $210 million dollar contract like the one Dylan Cease signed with the Blue Jays. The question is whether the Cardinals can find a free agent arm that’s willing to accept a 1-year deal on a team in rebuild mode. I’ve not heard his name mentioned much lately in trade buzz, but Lars Nootbaar could be included in a trade package. I am bearish on him being a part of a Winter Meetings deal considering his injury status. That feels too much like a sell low situation and Chaim Bloom does not impress me as a sell low kind of guy. Or, at least I hope not.
