Report: Arenado willing to play 1B if traded

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is open to playing first base if he's traded to a team looking for roster flexibility, sources told Katie Woo of The Athletic.

The Cardinals have reportedly been assessing Arenado's trade market over the last few weeks by having preliminary talks with other clubs.

A few teams have also expressed initial interest, a source told Woo, who adds there's a growing sense around baseball that St. Louis will trade the eight-time All-Star this winter.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and Arenado are both open to a deal, sources told Woo. Mozeliak approached the 33-year-old in late September to discuss the team's directional change, which will focus on player development and allocating money from the major-league roster to improve the minor-league system in 2025.

Arenado will reportedly only waive his no-trade clause for a proven contender.

The 10-time Gold Glover is still owed $52 million over three years after inking an eight-year, $260-million contract with the Colorado Rockies in 2019.

Arenado, who finished as a 2022 NL MVP finalist, is coming off the worst offensive season of his 12-year career since his 2013 rookie campaign. He hit 16 homers with 71 RBIs and a .719 OPS over 152 games. However, his defense at the hot corner was still stellar, finishing in the 95th percentile in Baseball Savant's outs above average.