Mariners enter bidding for fading Cardinals star as trade talks hit fever pitch

The Seattle Mariners desperately need some quality infield help from outside the organization, but their possibilities are disappearing by the day. However, what if we told you that there was an eight-time All-Star third baseman who considers them as an option, who has a resume which includes 10 Gold Gloves and five Silver Slugger Awards?

It almost sounds too good to be true, but apparently it is, at least according to MLB insider Jon Morosi. Of course, as Mariners fans would expect when it comes to their ball club, it's not a straightforward situation where anyone should necessarily get their hopes up.

During an appearance on MLB Network's Hot Stove, Morosi reported that in the last 24 hours, Nolan Arenado has become more open-minded to waiving his no-trade clause to more teams. And the Mariners were specifically mentioned as one of those new teams now apparently part of the equation, along with the Detroit Tigers.

On a surface level at least, Arenado certainly seems like the type of player who can help the Mariners, both defensively and -- more importantly for them -- offensively. He has enjoyed a decorated 12-year-career in the Majors, where he has achieved pretty much everything a player could ask for, save for winning a World Series.

Not so fast on the Nolan Arenado enthusiasm, Mariners fans...

The only reason Arenado is even available is because the St. Louis Cardinals want to shed some payroll, which brings us to the first catch concerning the Mariners. As per Bernie Pleskoff of Forbes, he is still owed $74 million on the remaining three seasons of a deal which he originally signed with the Colorado Rockies.

Now Pleskoff does add that the Rockies are covering $10 million of the deal, and there are some deferrals involved, leaving around $60 million of the deal which would still need to be paid by whoever acquires Arenado. In truth, though, it is tough to imagine a Mariners club, which apparently has around $15 million of spare payroll, being prepared to entertain paying what the 33-year-old is owed.

One potential solution to this could be the Cardinals repeating the Rockies' ' trick' and absorbing some of the remaining $60 million, in order to help facilitate a trade. Even here, though, it would still depend how much of the remainder the Mariners would be prepared to cover.

Are Nolan Arenado's best days behind him?

Assuming the Mariners do manage to come to some type of financial agreement with the Cardinals, they then face the second catch in this situation. As elite as Arenado has been throughout his time in the majors, the reality is that his offensive productivity is beginning to decline, highlighted by a .719 OPS last season, which was the lowest of his career since his rookie year in 2013.

Let's be clear in stating that even an aging Arenado is preferable at third base in Seattle, compared to the options currently at the disposal of the Mariners. However, there still has to be some concern about bringing in an expensive and older player, with the risk that his productivity is only going to continue to decline (as he battles back issues, which have recurred the past few years). Let's also not forget the T-Mobile Park factor; the stadium is renowned as the very essence of a pitcher's ballpark.

If this is similarly something the Mariners become comfortable with, there is one final catch to consider, in the form of the competition. As already mentioned, the Tigers are now also in the picture, a ball club which came out of nowhere last year to leapfrog the M's for the final Wild Card spot in the American League.

At the moment, the Boston Red Sox are considered the front-runners to trade for Arenado, and they are in talks with the Cardinals to try and come to an agreement. As if this isn't big enough competition for the Mariners, again as per Pleskoff, the likes of the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers are other clubs he is willing to accept a trade to.

So yes, it's a positive in one sense that a player of Arenado's ilk is willing to entertain the Mariners as a possibility. Ultimately though, there are just too many obstacles as to why it more than likely won't become a reality, although there will be no issue in being proven wrong.

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