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The Diamondbacks have officially acquired Nolan Arenado.
The Arizona Diamondbacks had a disappointing 2025 season. After making the World Series in 2023, the Diamondbacks have failed to reach the postseason each of the last two seasons. Heading into 2026, Arizona is hoping to turn that around, but they will need a little help. After deciding not to trade Ketel Marte, Arizona is acting seriously about their playoff intentions.
Keeping Marte around is the first step towards making it back to October baseball. But there are still holes to fill on the team. One of those holes comes at the hot corner. Blaze Alexander and Jordan Lawlar are both listed at the position on the depth chart, but an upgrade would help.
One player consistently on the trade block is Nolan Arenado. His time with the St. Louis Cardinals is coming to an end, but a trade involving Arenado has never come to fruition. Until now.
Katie Woo of The Athletic has reported that the Diamondbacks are in serious talks to acquire Arenado from the Cardinals.
TRADE NEWS: The Arizona Diamondbacks are in serious discussions to acquire third baseman Nolan Arenado from the St. Louis Cardinals, multiple sources tell The Athletic.
Arenado has waived his no-trade clause, and the deal has officially been completed, barring any medical setbacks, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Who Did The Diamondbacks Trade
The Diamondbacks officially get their third baseman with Arenado making his way to Chase Field. And it came cheaper than expected.
Arizona had to give up their eighth-round pick from the 2025 MLB draft, Jack Martinez, in a one-for-one deal. The Diamondbacks will also be receiving cash from the Cardinals to help pay for some of Arenado’s salary.
Arenado’s contract and NTC were the reason for the hesitation from a lot of teams. Arizona is clearly a place Arenado wants to play, and the Cardinals were willing to make that happen without the Diamondbacks having to break the bank or give up multiple prospects.
Martinez was a standout at Arizona State University, but did not see any action in pro ball after being drafted. The right-hander struck out 110 batters in 77.1 innings during his senior year of college. He has the pitch mix and the stuff to succeed, and the Cardinals will do their best to help him reach his full potential.
Nolan Arenado Returns to the NL West
Arenado began his career in the National League West division, playing for the Colorado Rockies. He spent eight years with Colorado before being traded to the Cardinals.
With the Rockies, Arenado won a Gold Glove in all eight of his seasons. Additionally, he slashed .293/.349/.541 in those years. Now 34 years old, Arenado will hope to find an offensive resurgence in the division where he got his start.
The good news for Arizona is that Arenado excels at Chase Field, but as a visiting player, of course. When playing the Diamondbacks on the road in his career, Arenado has a .280 batting average with 13 home runs, 54 RBI, and 84 total hits in 77 games played.
Now, he has seen a regression in his hit tool, but a change of scenery could be good for Arenado. This is especially true when going to a team that wants to win now.
The Diamondbacks finally have their full-time third baseman, and the team should be a lot better because of it.
Cam Zunkel Cam Zunkel has been a sports journalist since 2022. He covers the NBA and MLB for Heavy.com. Cam also covers multiple MLB teams for On SI – part of the Sports Illustrated Brand. He is a former collegiate baseball player with two stops in the independent Frontier League. More about Cam Zunkel
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