Now that Juan Soto is off the board, trade rumors have started to gain steam at the MLB winter meetings in Dallas.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet remains the likeliest big name to be dealt, but a couple of even bigger names have popped up as trade possibilities: Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker and St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
When Astros general manager Dana Brown met with reporters at the meetings on Monday, he was asked about the team's willingness to trade Tucker and starter Framber Valdez, who each have one season left until reaching free agency, and replied, "We'll listen on anybody. Brown added, "We're not trying to aggressively move anybody out the door."
Still, it feels like the door is open. Consider this: Over the past three seasons, Tucker has averaged 6.5 WAR per 162 games -- the same as Soto. In fact, Tucker had a higher OPS+ than Soto in 2024 (although Tucker played just 78 games because of a slow-healing right shin fracture). Tucker will be three years older than Soto when he hits free agency, but the Astros could very well be looking at Soto's new contract and wondering how much Tucker will get on the open market. If they re-sign free agent Alex Bregman, it's possible they won't be able to spend on both players and thus could trade Tucker for young players or prospects.
Meanwhile, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said it is his "intention to try" to move Arenado, the eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner who is entering his age-34 season and coming off his worst offensive season (.272/.325/.394) since his rookie year. Arenado is signed for three more seasons at a total of $74 million (including $32 million in 2025). Arenado has a full no-trade clause and has expressed a willingness to move off third base if necessary, so it seems he's open to a trade. As Buster Olney reported, the Cardinals would likely have to cover some of Arenado's remaining salary.
With all that in mind, let's find three potential trade partners for each player.