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If you hadn鈥檛 heard, often-quiet Nolan Arenado made an Instagram post that got some people talking.

A collection of photos from his offseason posted recently included a song with an interesting title: Kendrick Lamar鈥檚 鈥渄odger blue.鈥�

Could be something. Could be nothing. One thing鈥檚 certain:

If this had happened a year ago, there would be mass chaos in Cardinal nation. Now? Not so much.

Maybe that speaks to fans鈥� acceptance of what could become Arenado鈥檚 fate with the Cardinals as the team entertains the idea of trading the eight-time All-Star third baseman.

It probably also has plenty to do with Cardinal nation embracing the organization鈥檚 decision to get back to prioritizing player development, even if it means taking a (hopefully temporary) step back from prioritizing annual postseason competition. It鈥檚 not like the previous approach was working so well, and the Cardinals are finally saying some of the things their fans have said for years: Something鈥檚 broken. Time to fix it.

Focusing on the future more than the immediate present means some familiar faces are going to go, and it鈥檚 been wondered often since the season ended if one will become Arenado.

But I also think some of the muted reaction to Arenado鈥檚 possible social media flirting with the Dodgers, who showed trade interest in him before the 2023 deadline, has to do with, well, Arenado.

He came here from Colorado in 2021 expecting to win big. It didn鈥檛 happen. If his true desire is to go somewhere else to chase it instead of helping the Cardinals get back to doing it here, it鈥檚 best for the future to move him now. And the future, for now, should be the primary concern.

Arenado reversing what has become a seasons-long offensive decline may be a tough ask if he鈥檚 stuck with a team he would rather not play for anymore. His contract is hefty for both his offense-related concerns and his age, but he鈥檚 still a brand name and elite defender. A bounce-back is not out of the cards with him.

For a powerful team with deep postseason expectations that misses out on the Juan Soto chase, Arenado would be a fine consolation prize. The team that gets both Soto and Arenado? That would help close the gap with the best.

Around here, the focus remains local. If Arenado is indeed traded away this offseason, how will his Cardinals era be remembered? Maybe it鈥檚 better to wonder if it will be remembered much at all. Blame for that goes both ways.

The Cardinals didn鈥檛 give Arenado as much of a championship shot as they should have, especially when he and Paul Goldschmidt shared MVP-like seasons together, with Arenado finishing third and Goldschmidt winning the National League award in 2022.

What drives me crazy about the Cardinals now claiming they got too interested in investing in the major league product while the development side of the organization fell into disarray is the lack of investment made into that 2022 team. It was the Cardinals鈥� best shot to go big, especially after Albert Pujols popped, and the aggressiveness to improve the team on the fly was mild, at best.

But the Cardinals were let down by Arenado, too. It鈥檚 OK to admit that, even if unpopular.

After sharing a superb offensive season with Goldschmidt in 2022, it was more than fair to expect Arenado to lead the offense as he entered his age-32 season while Goldschmidt pushed deeper into age鈥檚 danger zone. Arenado over the last two seasons averaged .269 with a .320 on-base percentage and a .426 slugging percentage. For context, his great 2022 slash line read: .293/.358/.533. His .719 on-base plus slugging percentage in 2024 was his lowest since he debuted as a 22-year-old Rockies rookie. That 2024 season marked his second consecutive one without 30 home runs. It was the first time that鈥檚 happened since his first and second years in the majors.

When the Cardinals leaned on youth at times in 2023, Arenado called for more veteran presence in the clubhouse. When the Cardinals stocked up with veterans for 2024, Arenado produced just league-average offense and missed earning All-Star honors for the first time since 2014.

I blame the Cardinals more than Arenado for his playing in fewer postseason games (three) with the Cardinals than he did with the Rockies (five), but it鈥檚 worth mentioning that Arenado as a Cardinal went one-for-12 in his sparse playoff at-bats, with more strikeouts (two) than extra-base hits (zero) and RBIs (also zero). The Cardinals lost one of those games by three runs and two of them by two runs. An Arenado homer or two, of which there were none, could have gone a long way. Maybe we are having a different conversation today if he hits one, or two.

Arenado won an absurd 10 Gold Glove Awards in a row. He and Ichiro Suzuki are the only players who won 10 in their first 10 seasons. Arenado and Mike Schmidt are the only third basemen with 10 Gold Gloves, at least three home run titles and at least four top-five MVP finishes. Those numbers strongly suggest Arenado will one day be a Hall of Famer. But if he鈥檚 traded away this offseason, isn鈥檛 it hard to imagine him cracking the Cardinals Hall of Fame? Goldschmidt at least has an MVP to show for his time here, along with a National League Championship appearance (2019).

If trade talk surrounding a player with legitimate Cooperstown potential happens and a passionate fan base doesn鈥檛 react with outrage, that鈥檚 a pretty good tell things didn鈥檛 go according to the plan. Arenado once spoke of wanting to be a lifelong Cardinal. The Cardinals once spoke of prioritizing making every postseason and never losing their draft-and-development way. Tunes can change. Blame can be shared. Should be, usually.

If the Dodgers (or some other team) want to take on Arenado鈥檚 hefty salary and put him on a super team more capable of making him a contributing piece instead of a key cog, that sounds like the start of a good deal for all parties. The start of a good deal is how things get done at Winter Meetings. If Arenado is determined to help the Cardinals rebound and rebuild, I have to think we would know about it by now. Especially in an Instagram world.