The 2025–2026 offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies will be significant. It’s looking like a big winter, from the choices made with Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Ranger Suarez, and Harrison Bader to the potential free agents and trades.
The Phillies may decide to go all out if John Middleton provides the go-ahead, as Dave Dombrowski has demonstrated a willingness to do so. They have a good chance of replacing Alec Bohm at third base.
The Phillies are genuinely interested in Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals, according to Jeff Jones of BND.com. However, it’s more than a nebulous fascination. The 10-time Gold Glover is attracting “intensifying” interest from Philadelphia.
Phillies’ interest in Nolan Arenado ‘intensifying’
“The Philadelphia Phillies seemed like the most logical destination for Arenado last winter,” writes Jones, “and that has seemingly only intensified after another year of playoff disappointment.”
For a number of reasons, Arenado would be an extremely intriguing acquisition for the Phillies. The Phillies would first have to make a deal for him, and even if the Cardinals are starting to rebuild, acquiring Arenado won’t be inexpensive.
That extends beyond the compensation that the Phillies would provide. With two years remaining on his current contract, Arenado will make $16 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027.
Arenado’s salary will make him a difficult player for the Cardinals to deal, and in the case of the Phillies, a difficult player to trade for, given his recent offensive regression.
In 2025, the 34-year-old third baseman’s offense drastically declined, but he was still a strong defender. He had an OPS of.666 and a batting average of.237 in 107 games.
With an OPS that is.040 below his previous career low from his rookie season in 2013, it is the lowest of his MLB career. Additionally, his slugging percentage of.377 was the lowest of his career.
His numbers over the past few years show that he has been steadily declining. He had an OPS of.891 in 2022, the year he placed third in the NL MVP vote. It fell to.774 in 2023 and then even lower to.719 in 2024.
Arenado has clearly regressed offensively, but if he were a contender and wasn’t the center of attention, he might be able to turn things around. According to Jones’ story, the Phillies may be willing to take this chance.
If nothing else, this news about the Phillies’ growing interest in Arenado suggests that Bohm’s tenure as third baseman is coming to an end. The only thing to wonder is if it’s Arenado, another player, or a free agent like Alex Bregman.