During the 2025-26 MLB offseason, we’re re-analyzing major trades that happened five years ago and the impact each of those moves had on the involved teams. This profile focuses on the February 2021 trade that sent Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals.
The 2020-21 MLB offseason was more defined by the trades that occurred, rather than what was a quieter-than-normal free agency. One of the most notable trades that went down that winter involved the Cardinals and Rockies, as Colorado sent franchise cornerstone Nolan Arenado to St. Louis in a deal that defined both franchises’ paths for the decade.
Cardinals looked for another superstar
Two offseasons before this one, the Cardinals swung a blockbuster trade for Paul Goldschmidt, giving St. Louis a reliable power bat. Goldschmidt’s first season with the Cards went well in 2019, as St. Louis got into the playoffs and clinched a berth in the NLCS after defeating the Braves in the Division Series.
The Cardinals went 30-28 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, one defined by good pitching and strong defense. St. Louis’ offense finished 28th in runs scored that year. Only four of the team’s nine regulars that year had OPS figures of .700 or better: Goldschmidt, co-2020 St. Louis home run leader Brad Miller, Dexter Fowler, and Harrison Bader.
Not to mention, the Cardinals were 30th in total home runs (51), seven behind Goldschmidt’s former team, the Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals’ outfield, at the time, was fine on paper. Tyler O’Neill hit a team-high seven home runs and could field well in left. Harrison Bader’s plus defense played very well in center, and the Cardinals had prospect depth with Dylan Carlson & Lars Nootbaar close.
Carpenter from 2012. Image via Wikimedia Commons (Keith Allison)
Third base, though, was an area of concern. Matt Carpenter, who was entering his age-35 season in 2021, saw his production drop considerably since his monster 2018 campaign. Carpenter spent most of 2020 at third, even though he played some first.
YearOPSwOBA2018.897.3752019.726.3152020.639.293Some of Carpenter’s numbers from 2018-20.
Hence, why Nolan Arenado made so much sense for the Cardinals.
A reset in Colorado
A decade after the Rockies went to the World Series for the first time, Colorado had its second renaissance.
The Rockies made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018. Colorado lost the Wild Card game in 2017 but got past the Cubs in 2018 after losing the NL West in Game 163 against the Dodgers.
At the center of that resurgence were Arenado and Trevor Story, who combined to form one of the best left sides in Major League Baseball. Both were tremendous defenders and power hitters. The two combined for 75 home runs in 2018. Arenado led the way with an NL-high 38 home runs.
Image via Wikimedia Commons (Jennifer Linnea)
From an overall standpoint, Arenado was a fantastic all-around hitter with the Rockies. He was one of the best fastball hitters in the game, and Arenado could get around and make contact on breaking balls and changeups, as well. Combine that with the hitter-friendly confines, and Arenado led the NL three times in home runs between 2014 and 2019.
However, what made Arenado stand out was his defense. Arenado was arguably baseball’s best defender at the hot corner. He won a Gold Glove in each of his first eight seasons.
That combination made him a perfect fit for the Cardinals.
The environment was ripe for a rebuild in Colorado. When the Rockies last made the playoffs in 2018, Colorado had an exciting blend of young hitters, experienced bats, as well as Kyle Freeland, who flourished as the staff ace in 2018.
Things, though, took a quick downturn. Colorado’s pitching staff struggled mightily in 2019, as Freeland, as well as Jeff Hoffman, Antonio Senzatela, and Peter Lambert, all had ERA+ below 80. The Rockies finished below .500 again in 2020.
But what was more concerning in 2020 was that the Rockies struggled to get offensive production from nearly half of the lineup.
Trade rumors circulated Arenado for about one calendar year. It came months after Arenado signed an eight-year extension worth $260MM. However, that deal came with an opt-out after 2021. Eventually, the Rockies pulled the trigger before he had the chance to opt out.
Arenado’s impact in St. Louis
Arenado joined the likes of Matt Holliday and Larry Walker as notable ex-Rockies to go to St. Louis. Immediately, Arenado became an impact player for his new team.
The new Cardinal hit 34 home runs, putting aside concerns that a power drop would happen after he left Colorado. The 2022 season would be arguably his best as a Cardinal, as he posted a .891 OPS and belted 30 home runs to help the team win the NL Central.
Arenado finished as a finalist for the NL MVP, which went to teammate Paul Goldschmidt.
The 2023 season saw the first cracks in the armor for Arenado. His SLG dropped almost 80 points, even though he hit 26 home runs and posted roughly the same batted-ball metrics compared to 2022.
However, in 2024, Arenado hit 16 home runs, the fewest he had ever had in a season where he played over 140 games. And in 2025, Arenado was limited to 107 games due to injury.
Arenado, to his credit, remains an exceptionally good high-ball hitter. However, the game has changed over the past few years — and has Arenado’s numbers.
What the Rockies got
The Rockies acquired five players for Arenado, mostly Minor Leaguers at the time. Pitchers Austin Gomber, Tony Locey, & Jake Sommers, and infielders Mateo Gil & Elehuris Montero, were the five to go to Colorado.
We’ll start with Locey, a third-rounder out of the University of Georgia back in 2019. Locey was a strikeout machine in the SEC, as he punched out 97 over 89 in 2019 before the Cardinals drafted him. He pitched fine in his pro debut in 2019. However, Locey struggled with command, conceding both walks and home runs at a high clip. In 2022, Locey walked 67 and gave up 16 home runs over 107 innings.
Colorado flipped him to Tampa Bay in 2022 in a Minor League trade. The Rays released him the following year.
Sommers was a 10th-round pick by the Cardinals out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the same school that produced now-Blue Jay Daulton Varsho (the two were briefly teammates). The 28-year-old struck out 51 over 37 as a reliever with Spokane (A+) in 2021. However, he didn’t pitch at all in 2022 due to injuries and appeared in just five games in 2023.
He retired in 2024.
Gil was a third-round pick out of high school back in 2018. Mateo is the son of ex-Major League Benji Gil and flashed some pop in the Appalachian League in 2019, as he belted seven home runs in the short-season circuit. He stalled out in A-ball with the Rockies’ organization before the Mets picked him up in the 2022-23 offseason.
He last played in affiliated baseball in 2024.
Elehuris Montero was one of two players in this deal to play for the Rockies. He was traded to the Rockies as a 22-year-old and on the cusp of being a Major League player. Montero was with the Cardinals’ alternate training site roster during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
He showed a good feel for the bat before the deal & afterwards, as he hit 22 home runs with Double-A Hartford when MiLB returned in 2021. Montero hit well in Triple-A the following year to force his way to the Majors.
Despite the plus raw power, Montero couldn’t translate it to MLB success. He had trouble with breaking balls and offspeed, leading to his swing-and-miss rates.
Montero posted a career bWAR of -1.7 with the Rockies. He slashed .228/.277/.387 in parts of three MLB seasons. The now-27-year-old spent 2025 with the Hiroshima Carp of the NPB.
Lastly, there’s Austin Gomber. Gomber was the only player among the five with MLB experience before the trade. A fourth-round pick back in 2014, Gomber worked as both a starter and reliever with St. Louis.
Gomber had a heavy ground-ball lean with the Cardinals. The left-hander was able to induce ground balls with his breaking stuff and changeup, which played off a low-90s fastball with backspin and life. Although he didn’t induce many chases and walked batters, his 1.7 Barrel/PA in 2020 was stellar.
The Rockies have long had problems with young pitchers in Colorado. Coors Field is an unfriendly ballpark to pitch in, with very few having success there, aside from hometown boy Kyle Freeland.
Gomber’s first season with the Rockies didn’t go badly at all. He struck out 113 over 115 innings, and pitched much better at home (2.09 ERA) than on the road (6.22 ERA, 15 HR over 68 IP).
However, Coors Field eventually caught up to him. A case in point was in 2023, as he posted a 7.05 ERA at home and increased home run totals. Gomber led the NL in home runs allowed (30) in 2024. And after posting a 7.49 ERA in 12 starts during the 2025 campaign, Colorado released him in August.
Summary
Even though the Cardinals haven’t received the MVP-like production from Arenado seen in his first two years as a Redbird, St. Louis won this trade. The Cardinals received good overall production from Arenado for three years, while the Rockies were unable to fast-forward their reset with the pieces acquired for him.
However, what is in store for Arenado in the future remains to be seen.
Arenado has been the subject of trade rumors each of the last two winters. With the Cardinals now in a rebuild, his time as a Redbird may be ending soon.
Check out more of our MLB coverage, including an overview of the Yu Darvish trade from 2020.
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