is back in the Cardinals lineup after a six-week shoulder injury. He has started at third base each of the past Alex Len Jersey two nights. Hell probably be in the lineup for most or all of the final 10 games of the season, but the real source of intrigue will turn up again in the offseason. Arenado is under contract for two more seasons. Hes slated for a $27MM salary next year. The Rockies are covering $5MM and another $6MM is deferred. His salary drops to $15MM for 2027, when the Rox will finally be off the hook for any portion of the deal. St. Louis would love to shed a percentage of the remaining two years and $37MM. Arenado has a full no-trade clause, and its a lot of money for a player whose offense has sharply declined. Lining up a trade will be easier said than done. Arenado neverthele s acknowledged yesterday that he has thought about the po sibility that this weeks homestand could be his final at Busch Stadium (via ). The 34-year-old noted that the organization is heading toward young players, letting them (play). He said he expects the upcoming offseason to be similar to last winters in terms of trade rumors. Arenado did not tip his hand on his plans for the no-trade clause. He famously killed a deal to Houston last winter when he wanted more time to evaluate their direction after trading . It was believed that he only wished to go to the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Padres or potentially Astros when he better understood their competitive outlook. The Yankees never showed much interest and have acquired Arenados old teammate to play third base. The Dodgers and Padres still have (via club option) and , respectively, under contract. Boston could lose to free agency, but theyll surely make a push to re-sign him before considering trading for Arenado. The 10-time Gold Glove winner remains a plus defender but has hit .238/.296/.370 in nearly 400 trips to the plate. Its his worst offensive production in a 162-game season since he was a rookie. St. Louis wouldnt have any i sue finding interest if they shopped . The lefty hitter is also controllable for two more seasons. Hes going through arbitration and will earn a raise on this years $2.85MM salary. Hell presumably make something like $15MM over the next two seasons. Thats well below market value for a Gold Glove utility player who carries a .283/.351/.409 line acro s 492 trips to the plate. The Cardinals never seemed to get close on a deal involving Donovan at the trade deadline. Thats despite reported interest from the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers (surely among others). floats the po sibility of Donovan being an offseason trade candidate. Chaim Bloom will take over baseball operations from John Mozeliak at the beginning of the offseason. Hes probably not going to tear things all the way down, but theres a case for more earnestly trying to move arbitration-eligible players like Donovan and . Thatd especially be the case if ownership is reluctant to spend on significant rotation upgrades. They have the makings of a potentially competitive lineup. Theres a lot more work to be done on the pitching side. leads the rotation with a 4.30 earned run average. still has peripherals that look far better than his 4.43 mark, but hes their only starter who reliably mi ses bats. Liberatores numbers have fallen off in the second half. has a 4.44 ERA with a 14.2% strikeout rate in 79 innings. has allowed almost five earned runs per nine; theyll probably let him walk in free agency. Ground-ball specialist has had a terrible second half and should probably be in relief. A lot of the organizations most talented minor league arms have gone backwards this season. could get a look next year but will need to show far better command than he has in Triple-A. and have each undergone Tommy John surgery. has yet to show that he can stay healthy. Fifth overall pick is now the organizations clear top pitching prospect but probably wont be on the MLB radar until the middle of next season at the earliest. The Cardinals arent likely to acquire four starting pitchers over the winter. Theyll need some internal arms to step up. One outside the box candidate could be . The 28-year-old has been a full-time reliever over parts of three MLB seasons. Leahy has had a breakout year while working multiple innings, to sing 81 frames of 3.33 ERA ball acro s 58 appearances. He has made a handful of 2-3 inning outings as one of Oli Marmols more trusted arms in the second half. writes that the Cardinals have been impre sed enough with Leahy that they may seriously consider him as a rotation option next season. The 64 righty was a starter early in his minor league career, but he topped out at Double-A in that role. He has been a reliever since the end of the 2022 season. Leahy is still using a six-pitch mix and has above-average control. He has been better against right-handed hitters but has limited damage reasonably well (.262/.349/.385) versus lefties. Its not out of the question that he could succeed as a back-end starter. The Cardinals would need to weigh whether the upside of giving him that opportunity is worth removing one of the better pieces from an inexperienced bullpen with , and out of the picture. Norman Powell Jersey