Bob Nightengale sheds light on Phillies’ rumored interest in Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado? – As the Phillies keep climbing back into the NL East fight, the rumors around what Dave Dombrowski might (or might not) do at this year’s trade deadline are starting to heat up. And one of the biggest names getting thrown around by fans is none other than Nolan Arenado.

It makes sense on paper. Alec Bohm was a disaster to start the year, and his brutal finish to 2024 is still fresh in everyone’s minds. The Phillies have a win-now roster that might only have a couple more cracks at it before Father Time and some ugly contracts start catching up.

Arenado, meanwhile, is a future Hall of Famer still flashing gold glove defense and bouncing back after a forgettable 2024 season. Put all that together and yeah — fans are foaming at the mouth for Dombrowski to make the move and upgrade third base once and for all.

Nolan Arenado’s 2025 season with the St. Louis Cardinals has been a mix of steady production and recent surges. Through 37 games, the veteran third baseman is batting .270 with 38 hits, 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, and 19 runs scored, complemented by a .352 on-base percentage and a .426 slugging percentage, culminating in a .778 OPS.

In the last 15 games, Arenado’s performance has seen a slight dip, with a batting average of .259, 2 home runs, and 5 RBIs.However, his recent 7-game stretch indicates a positive trend, as he’s hitting .346 with 9 hits, including a home run, and has driven in 2 runs while scoring 6 times.

Nolan Arenado a trade target for the Phillies? According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, that’s not happening. At least not yet.

Nightengale reported this week that the Cardinals aren’t getting any bites on Arenado, who blocked trades to the Astros and Angels this past winter.

While the Phillies were reportedly on Arenado’s short list of teams he’d waive his no-trade clause for, the buzz is that Dombrowski and the front office aren’t ready to play ball.

Nolan Arenado would be nice, but I doubt it

The Phillies aren’t in full “all-in at any cost” mode — at least not yet. Everything we’re hearing out of Philly suggests Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller are completely off the table, and even guys like Justin Crawford, Mick Abel, and Gabriel Rincones Jr. are being guarded like treasure.

That doesn’t mean the Phillies won’t make moves. But it does mean they’re probably not willing to gut the farm system for a player like Arenado unless the price drops significantly.

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Could that change as the season wears on and the Phillies get an even closer look at Arenado — especially this week with St. Louis in town? Absolutely. But for now, the smoke around Arenado-to-Philly feels more fan fiction than reality.

And given Nolan Arenado’s hefty contract and no-trade control, the Cardinals might find themselves stuck unless they’re willing to eat some money or settle for a light return.

Don’t hold your breath on an Nolan Arenado blockbuster.

The Phillies seem more likely to look at smaller upgrades unless Bohm completely implodes or the Cardinals get desperate but if Arenado keeps raking this summer and the Phillies are still neck and neck with the Mets that phone might start ringing.

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