St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado will turn 34 years old in April, and he's already two seasons into an age-related decline phase -- offensively and defensively. The aging curve brings down all athletes at some point, but that's happened sooner than expected with Arenado. It makes sense for the Cardinals to move him this offseason. He won't be happy in a rebuilding situation. Before the 2021 season, he agreed to be traded to St. Louis for the chance to play for a winning franchise that has a proud history of winning and competing for championships. But that window has closed for now as the Cardinals go forward with a youth movement and a complete overhaul of their outdated and wobbly player-development (and minor league) system. It will be a while until the Cards win again, and Arenado would be absolutely miserable in this environment. Losing -- at Colorado and more recently in St. Louis -- has worn him down. His decline of power and skill only adds to his frustration.

With the Cardinals about to get younger, the last thing they should want is a disillusioned Arenado radiating negative energy. I find it hard to believe that Arenado would want to stay here given the circumstances. If he's motivated to waive his no-trade protection and accept a trade -- and the Cardinals are motivated to make the trade -- the outcome would be best for the player and the team and the younger flock of Redbirds. In this video I discuss the other parts of this situation -- Arenado's contract, trade value, and a few young players who could benefit from Arenado moving on.