ST. LOUIS, Mo. (AP) – The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from St. Louis for minor league pitcher Jack Martinez in a trade Tuesday in which the Cardinals also are including $31 million.
A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Arenado has played for the Cardinals the past five seasons and was shopped extensively after the 2024 season by a rebuilding team. The 34-year-old isn’t the offensive force he used to be but will still provide a veteran presence at the position after the D-backs traded slugger Eugenio Suárez at last season’s trade deadline.
Arenado batted. .237 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs last season and as two years and $42 million remaining on a contract paying him $275 million for nine years. He is owed $42 million, with salaries of $27 million this year and $15 million in 2027.
St. Louis agreed to send Arizona $22 million to offset this season’s salary — $2,666,666.67 on the 15th of each month from April to September — and $9 million on Nov. 1, 2027.
Arenado waived a no-trade provision to accept the deal.
“We are grateful for Nolan’s five years as a Cardinal, on and off the field — for his drive, his competitiveness, and for all of the memories he gave us,” Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said in a statement.
“As we continue to move forward, we are pleased to add another intriguing pitching prospect to our organization, and excited for the opportunity this move creates for a number of our players to step up and further establish themselves at the big league level,” Bloom added.
Martinez was an eighth-round pick by the D-backs out of Arizona State in 2025.
Arenado is a career .282 hitter and has 353 homers over 13 seasons with the Cardinals and Rockies.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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