Cardinals Acquire Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado is revered as one of, if not the best third baseman in the sport. When Arenado signed an extension with Colorado, it felt like he would retire a member of the Rockies. Today, Arenado has been traded. The St. Louis Cardinals have made a big splash to land the talented third baseman.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report the news:

BREAKING: Cardinals have agreed to acquire Nolan Arenado from Rockies, sources tell @TheAthletic. Deal pending approval from both MLB and players’ union; Rockies sending Cardinals significant cash, believed to be in $50M range, and Arenado will be deferring money.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 30, 2021

Rosenthal adds that the trade is not official yet. Colorado is sending money to cover part of the contract. Arenado apparently is also deferring money in his contract which the players association will need to approve of. For some reason it’s looked as a negative but being Bobby Bonilla isn’t a bad gig.

Rosenthal also has a list of prospects that could or will be sent to Colorado. The exact list isn’t confirmed as of now. Regardless, with the Rockies way out of the mix in the NL West, conventional wisdom suggests that Arenado will accept a move to Busch Stadium.

VIA Rosenthal:

“LHP Austin Gomber, 1B Luken Baker, OF Jhon Torres. Return also might include RHP Jake Woodford or RHP Angel Rondón.”

Arenado didn’t exactly light the world on fire in 2020, but this is still one of the brightest stars in the game that excels on both sides of the diamond. Arenado has won the gold glove at third base every single year he’s been in the league. For the record, that’s eight straight.

The Colorado Rockies Have a Major Problem

The soon to be Cardinal has a career OPS+ of 120 and has five straight seasons with over 37 home runs excluding the shortened 2020 campaign. The Cardinals made a big splash towards the top of the NL Central race today acquiring one of the best players the sport has to offer.

SUBSCRIBE!