Star 3B Nolan Arenado Officially Traded to Cardinals
Photo Via: Stacy Revere - Getty Images
Update: February 1, 2021
The trade was made official, as reported by USA Today Sports’ Bob Nightengale. Nolan Arenado has been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are sending LHP Austin Gomber, 3B Mateo Gil, INF Elehuris Montero, RHP Tony Locey, and RHP Jake Sommers to Colorado. MLB and MLBPA each signed approvals tonight, which was needed due to the amount of money in the deal ($51M sent from Colorado to St. Louis) and Nolan Arenado’s waiver of no-trade clause and contract reconstruction. Colorado will only be required to pay the full $51M to St. Louis if Arenado does not opt out of his contract.
The Colorado Rockies have agreed to trade Nolan Arenado to the St. Louis Cardinals, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Colorado’s central objective is to shed their payroll amount. The star third baseman is due $199 million over the next six seasons, but can opt out of his contract after this upcoming 2021 season, as long as his player option is retained as part of the trade. It is likely that Arenado, who must waive his no-trade clause, will hold onto his player option for after the 2021 season and pick up and additional player option for after the 2022 season, per Rosenthal. St. Louis would run the risk of the eight time Gold Glove winner hitting free agency after only one season (or possibly two seasons), which would shift the assessment of the trade. Rosenthal reports that the Rockies would also send roughly $50 million to St. Louis as part of the deal, in order to alleviate the amount owed to Arenado. Additionally, Arenado has agreed to amend his contract to add one more season for $15 million guaranteed, which would keep Arenado in St. Louis through the 2027 season.
Major League Baseball and the Players’ Union must approve the deal after Arenado officially waives his no-trade clause and finalizes his additional opt-out. As of right now, there are no players announced in the return to the Rockies. However, Rosenthal did name LHP Austin Gomber, 1B Luken Baker, OF Jhon Torres, RHP Jake Woodford, and RHP Angel Rondón as players that are possibly moving in exchange for Arenado.
Arenado compiled 1,206 hits, 235 home runs, and 760 runs batted in during his tenure in Colorado from 2013 to 2020. After finishing his 2018 arbitration-eligible season with an award of $17.75 million for the year, he signed an eight year extension with the Rockies, totaling $260 million. He became the face of the Rockies’ franchise, but had a public dispute with the club’s general manager, Jeff Bridich. Arenado voiced concerns regarding the efforts of the front office in putting together a competitive roster leading to Bridich’s response, in sum, that Arenado would not be on the roster if the organization was not trying to win. Now, Arenado is likely heading to the Cardinals to try to help the club secure its third consecutive Postseason berth.