The St Louis Cardinals broke out of their hibernation in a big way on Friday. They brought franchise icon Adam Wainwright back into the fold on a one year deal, and had been heavily involved in trade rumors surrounding Nolan Arenado. While nothing had happened on that front to that point, the Cardinals had suddenly become active.
Those Arenado talks heated up late Friday. According to reports, the Colorado Rockies are sending their star third baseman to Colorado, along with $50 million, to St. Louis.
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
St Louis Cardinals acquisition of Nolan Arenado puts them atop the NL Central
With the NL Central being wide open, and none of the teams in the division really doing much to this point in the offseason, it was truly anyone’s race. In acquiring Arenado, the Cardinals have thrown down the gauntlet, easily becoming the favorite to win the division at this point in time.
There are risks to this trade. Arenado is due another $199 million, and has an opt-out clause after this season. Theoretically, the Cardinals would have received some sort of assurance that he would not exercise that option. He also had a down year in 2020, although that may be due to his desire to leave Colorado and the short season.
The Cardinals have brought in a true superstar at the hot corner. He is a lifetime .293/.349/.541 hitter with 235 homers and 265 doubles over his 4588 plate appearances. Arenado has been a five time All Star and has won the Gold Glove at third in each of his eight major league seasons, taking home the Platinum Glove four times.
For Colorado, this was a move that needed to happen. The trade rumors from the previous offseason had rankled Arenado, torching that relationship. As the Rockies are not expected to contend in the upcoming season, it makes sense to start tearing down the roster and engaging in an actual rebuild. Moving Arenado may just be the beginning.
The St Louis Cardinals have acquired Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies. At this point, the Cardinals have to be considered the favorites in the NL Central.