The St. Louis Cardinals have finalized a deal with the Colorado Rockies to acquire star third baseman Nolan Arenado, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal first reported.
Within the deal that will send players back to the Rockies, Colorado will also send around $50 million to the Cardinals, Rosenthal reported. Arenado will also defer money on his contract which still has six years remaining after he signed an eight-year, $260 million deal with the Rockies.
As of now, Rosenthal is reporting that there are plenty of names in the mix for the Rockies’ return in the deal.
Arenado has been a part of trade rumors for multiple years now, with the Cardinals a team involved. Now, St. Louis has finally landed the third baseman and will add one of the best bats and gloves in baseball to its lineup.
After entering the league in 2013, Arenado quickly established himself as a top talent in the game. An All-Star from 2015-2019, he’s provided tons of production at the plate, hitting for at least 37 home runs, 110 RBI and a .287 batting average in that span. That has earned him four Silver Slugger Awards.
The defense is just as good, as Arenado’s range and arm at the hot corner are unmatched. The third baseman is an eight-time Gold Glove winner and a four-time Platinum Glove winner. The latter is given to the top fielder in each league.
Arenado missed time during the shortened 2020 season, but at 29-years-old, there are plenty of productive years ahead. In a wide open NL Central race, the Cardinals may have just jumped to the top.