Nolan Arenado DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado continued his strong offensive start to the season in Monday's 8-3 win over the Astros. Arenado went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a solo home run, and two RBI. The 33-year-old punished a seventh-inning Luis Contreras middle-middle fastball, launching it into the left-field bullpen. Arenado seems to have left his awkward off-season with the Cardinals' front office in the past, slashing .316/.409/.526 with two HR and nine RBI in his first 66 plate appearances. His slugging percentage has been up after last season's disappointing production, although, like last season, he has not hit the ball very hard.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (illness) is returning to the starting nine on Tuesday evening when they continue a series against their NL Central rival, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Arenado was unable to play in the series opener on Monday due to an illness. However, Arenado will return quickly to the starting nine, suggesting the injury was not serious. Through his first six games of the campaign, the 33-year-old has posted a stellar .371/.463/.543 slash line with three doubles and one home run. During this impressive start, he has held a 7.3 percent strikeout rate with a 14.6 percent walk rate. He will cover the hot corner and bat cleanup. Despite his strong start, he is not worth targeting in DFS facing right-hander Paul Skenes.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (illness) has been scratched from Monday's series opener at PNC Park against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates due to an illness and soreness, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Thomas Saggese will replace him at third base and will bat sixth against Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski. It doesn't sound like anything serious for Arenado, who should be considered day-to-day, and fantasy managers will want to check back on him on Tuesday. The 33-year-old veteran has looked great in the early going, batting .343 (12-for-35) with a homer, six RBI and six runs scored in 35 at-bats. Saggese, one of St. Louis' top prospects, hit his second career home run on Sunday night against the Red Sox and is 2-for-4 with four RBI in just two games in 2025. He should be considered a DFS sleeper against Mlodzinski, who he has faced only one time in his career.

The Houston Astros have re-engaged in trade talks with the St. Louis Cardinals for third baseman Nolan Arenado, but multiple sources say that no deal is gaining traction, and Arenado hasn't changed his stance about waiving his full no-trade clause to play for the Astros. "I don't feel anything is imminent," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said on Saturday. "I can't comment or chase every rumor." The Astros circled back with the Cardinals on Arenado after Alex Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, but a source described a potential deal as a "non-starter." Another source said it's a "long shot" after Arenado already blocked a trade to the Astros in December. Although the Astros were initially listed on Arenado's list of five teams he'd consider waiving his no-trade clause for earlier this offseason, he ended up invoking his no-trade clause due to the timing of the deal after Houston just traded All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Houston Astros have begun to rekindle trade talks for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado. Earlier in the offseason, the third baseman refused to waive his no-trade clause to go to Houston. However, it appears the Astros have begun to express interest in a trade once again. Feinsand noted that Arenado may be inclined to join Houston as they brought in first baseman Christian Walker, who was not on the team yet when they first attempted to acquire Arenado. The Cardinals have expressed interest in shedding payroll throughout the offseason and have actively searched for a trade partner for Arenado. However, they were unable to get a deal done prior to spring training. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Arenado's status. If he were to get shipped to Houston, he would cover the hot corner, which would shift Isaac Paredes to the keystone and Jose Altuve to left field. Last season in St. Louis, Arenado held a .272/.325/.394 line with 16 long balls.