Trading Nolan Arenado isn’t just a roster move for the St. Louis Cardinals. It could be the clearest sign yet that the franchise is preparing for a true rebuild, and Chaim Bloom reportedly made sure the message was understood internally.

Arenado was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, with the Cardinals also sending $31 million in deferred money as part of the deal in exchange for Jack Martinez, per MLB’s official site. Shortly after the move, Bloom, the team’s President of Baseball Operations, reportedly addressed the clubhouse about the organization’s direction, according to Derrick Goold.

“It obviously is a sobering thought on the ground we need to cover and the distance between where we are and where we want to get,” Bloom said.

Bloom’s comments reflect just how wide the gap is between the Cardinals’ current state and where they believe they should be. St. Louis finished the 2025 season with a 78–84 record and placed fourth in the NL Central, missing the postseason for a third straight year. Now, for the first time in decades, the Cardinals appear ready to lean fully into a youth-driven rebuild with the hope of returning to contention in the near future.

The team launched its new strategy by trading Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, and then traded Nolan Arenado for Jack Martinez. However, it is not the only reason why the team traded Arenado.

Performance-wise, Nolan Arenado has been deteriorating for some years. He suffered back and hand injuries that affected his performance this past season, and he still managed to hit 12 home runs in 107 games. Compared with this, he hit 26 home runs in 144 games in 2023 and 16 in 152 games in 2024, indicating a decline.

As part of getting traded to the Diamondbacks, the Cardinals are sending $31 million in deferred money to Arizona as part of the deal, as per the MLB official site.  Notably, the Cardinals also considered trading him to the Houston Astros before the 2025 season, but he blocked that trade under his no-trade clause.

However, the St. Louis Cardinals will be missing out on one of the most durable players, like Nolan Arenado, by trading him. Known for being an impressive position player in MLB, Arenado can combine good defense on third base alongside impressive offense with the bat.

His 384-foot 350th career home run against Mike Vasil in June last season is an example of how destructive he can be with the bat. The Cardinals will also be missing out on veteran leadership from Arenado now that he’s joined the Diamondbacks.

While the Cardinals got Jack Martinez by trading Nolan Arenado, he has yet to pitch in the minor and major leagues. So all that’s left to see is if he can help the team go into the postseason when he makes his MLB debut.

After Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals might let go of the 28-year-old star

The St. Louis Cardinals might not stop with trading their members even after Nolan Arenado. Now, they are reportedly looking to trade Brandon Donovan to the San Francisco Giants, according to FanSided’s Chris Landers. Chaim Bloom considers him more valuable as a trade asset for a rebuilding team like the Cardinals at age 28 (soon to be 29).

The San Francisco Giants are working to fill the holes at second base after a very poor performance by their second baseman this past season. In such a situation, Donovan’s impressive defensive skills can allow him to play either at the corner outfield spots or anywhere in the field. Moreover, Donovan can also be a strong table-setter for Will Adames in the infield and Matt Chapman in the outfield.

Although Chaim Bloom has started rebuilding the team with younger players, the only thing that is to be seen is whether is gamble is worth it in the long run or not.

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