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With the Athletics in the market for a third baseman and the Cardinals recently making public their plans to trade Nolan Arenado this offseason, it¡¯s easy to connect the two as a possible match.

During a Zoom call with local reporters earlier this week to discuss the A¡¯s trade with the Rays for Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez, general manager David Forst jokingly leaned into the trade rumors when asked about what he¡¯s looking for in a third baseman.

¡°I hear the Cardinals' third baseman is available,¡± Forst said with a grin. ¡°We obviously have guys in the mix who just don¡¯t have a lot of big league reps and big league experience. I think experience would be a factor. I know [manager Mark Kotsay] talked a lot at the end of the season about our defense and wanting to get better. I think we¡¯ll place a premium on defensive ability there. We¡¯re sort of turning over every rock right now.¡±

Arenado certainly checks the A's boxes, but are they a serious suitor for the eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner? Not likely.

Arenado, who is owed $74 million over the next three seasons, has a full no-trade clause in his contract. He reportedly has a wish list of teams he would waive that no-trade clause for, with a source telling MLB.com¡¯s John Denton that Arenado would be willing to accept a trade to the Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Phillies, Mets or Red Sox.

During the Winter Meetings in Dallas last week, Joel Wolfe, Arenado's agent, told reporters that the number of teams that he would accept a trade to is ¡°bigger than you might think,¡± so long as they are contenders.

After improving upon their 2023 win total by 19 games last season, the A¡¯s enter '25 believing they have a young core in place that is ready to contend. They have doubled down on that by fortifying their starting rotation with veterans such as Springs and Luis Severino. They also have indicated that they will continue increasing payroll this winter and have money to take on such a contract the size of Arenado¡¯s. Still, it seems like the chances of Arenado playing his home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento are slim based on the heavy interest around the league.

So, if not Arenado, who could the A¡¯s be looking at to address their need at third base? Here are some potential targets on both the trade and free-agent market:

Brett Baty (Mets): It was only a couple of years ago that Baty ranked as one of the top prospects in all of baseball. However, with the emergence of Mark Vientos as an impact player for the Mets, Baty is seemingly blocked at the Major League level. The 25-year-old third baseman spent the majority of his time last season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he hit .252 with a .853 OPS, 16 home runs, 10 doubles and 45 RBIs in 62 games. With 169 Major League games under his belt over the past three seasons, Baty falls into that category of a player still looking for a real chance to prove himself, and the A¡¯s could provide that opportunity.

Gio Urshela (free agent): The A¡¯s have had internal discussions about Urshela this offseason. While there is nothing overly flashy about his game, he¡¯s just a veteran with a proven track record of providing consistent solid offensive and defensive production. A veteran of nine big league seasons, Urshela, 33, split time between the Tigers and Braves in 2024 and combined to hit .250 with nine homers, 19 doubles and 52 RBIs in 128 games.

Yo¨¢n Moncada (free agent): Arguably the top free-agent third baseman on the market not named Alex Bregman, Moncada comes with a history of injuries, including a left adductor strain that limited him to just 12 games with the White Sox last season. Turning 30 in May, Moncada is still young enough to where there could be some upside and hope that he could regain some of the dynamic skills that made him an exciting player earlier in his career, though the injury concerns would make him a high-risk signing.

Paul DeJong (free agent): You know what you¡¯ll get with DeJong. As shown throughout his eight big league seasons, he is going to make up for a low average with a fair amount of power while also playing solid defense. For most of his career, his defensive skills were confined solely to shortstop. Last year, however, DeJong played 41 of his 139 games combined with the White Sox and Royals at third, and he fielded the position well in addition to bashing 24 homers. The fact that the 31-year-old can play both spots on the left side of the infield would be a plus for the A¡¯s, who could also use a backup shortstop for No. 1 prospect Jacob Wilson, who is expected to assume the everyday role next season.