Nolan Arenado's unexpected Instagram post has fans and analysts buzzing, sparking MLB trade speculation about his future with the St. Louis Cardinals.

It is already late-January and the St. Louis Cardinals worryingly remain in limbo. Fans still do not know if the team is ready to embark on a full rebuild or if it intends to enter 2025 with its expensive veteran core intact.

John Mozeliak says trading Nolan Arenado remains “Priority 1, 2 and 3” but acknowledges the team remains in a holding pattern due to the FA market. He would like to add to the bullpen/maybe a RH-bat, but won’t before they have clarity on Arenado’s future.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak -- a veteran team-builder who has regularly used the offseason to add difference-making talents such as Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to try and chase a championship -- oddly saw this winter slow to a crawl.

“John Mozeliak says trading Nolan Arenado remains ‘Priority 1, 2 and 3' but acknowledges the team remains in a holding pattern due to the FA market. He would like to add to the bullpen/maybe a RH-bat, but won’t before they have clarity on Arenado’s future,” Katie Woo of The Athletic wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak continues to make it known that he wants third baseman Nolan Arenado off his team. Over the weekend, he labeled the prospect of trading the veteran All-Star during the latter portions of MLB’s offseason as “priority one,