Aug 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

It took 159 games to mathematically count them out, but the St. Louis Cardinals have looked like a non-playoff team for months now. Following their elimination from postseason contention, two of their star players… and veteran leaders… have made notable comments about their futures.

Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is more open to the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause. “I think I have to be,” Arenado said to Katie Woo of The Athletic. “That’s something I’ll discuss with my agent and my family.” Right-hander Sonny Gray made similar comments to the media this week.

Unlike Gray, Miles Mikolas and Willson Contreras, Arenado was a bit more open to the idea of waiving his clause. But as an added piece, he gave the Cardinals a list of five clubs he would approve a trade to: the Dodgers, Yankees, Padres, Red Sox and Astros.

At one point, the Astros and Cardinals did have a trade at one point but Arenado used his no-trade clause to block it. At the time, the Astros had just traded Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. At the end of the day, no deal was finalized and Arenado remained a Cardinal.

Arenado turns 35 in April and is finishing up the worst season of his career. He has two seasons remaining on an eight-year, $260 million contract.

The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner is about to complete a season in which he is establishing 162-game season career lows in batting average (.236), on-base percentage (.289), slugging percentage (.371) and OPS (.660).

Arenado has just 11 homers and 51 RBIs in 105 games, with a major shoulder injury causing him to miss six-plus weeks of the season. Despite the missed time, Arenado looked completely different at the plate this year than he did in years past.

“The way I played this year, it looks old and washed,” Arenado said. “But I don’t feel that way. My defense is still there. I’m seeing the ball fine. There are some things where my body isn’t in the right spot, and I need to get it there because I still feel like I can be a really impactful player.”

As for Gray… well, he didn’t mince words about why he joined the Cardinals in the first place: to win.

“I came here to win,” he told reporters at Oracle Park. “I signed here two years ago with the expectation of winning, trying to win, and that hasn’t played out that way. I want to win. I want to win, and I expect to win.”

If the St. Louis Cardinals move forward with a rebuild, parting ways with Gray seems likely and with the St. Louis Cardinals leaning toward a rebuild focusing on their young core of players, Gray’s future in St. Louis looks increasingly uncertain.

Factors influencing a potential trade:

• Cardinals’ willingness to eat part of Gray’s contract

• Gray’s control via his no-trade clause• Market demand for starting pitching

• His age (36) and contract status entering free agency

Since signing with the Cards in the 2023-24 offseason, Gray has made 60 starts and turned in a 4.07 ERA in 347 innings. Gray, who turns 36 in November, has enjoyed another solid season in 2025, pitching to a 4.28 ERA and a 14-8 record.