DENVER, CO – JULY 21: Nolan Arenado #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals smiles while warming up on the field in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
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The St. Louis Cardinals have continued their facelift this offseason by trading third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Arenado was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on January 13 for 22-year-old right-handed pitcher, Jack Martinez.
The Diamondbacks will also receive $31M in the trade. That will help defray part of the $42M Arenado has remaining on his contract for the next two seasons.
Arenado has a no-trade in his contract, which he waived to move to the Dbacks.
The Diamondbacks have two seasons of control remaining on Arenado’s contract.
In 2019, Arenado signed a 9-year, $275M contract with the Rockies. He can become a free agent following the 2027 World Series.
The Cardinals will pay $6M remaining to Arenado in deferred money, which, according to MLB.com, does not come payable until 2040-2041.
The right-handed hitting Arenado, who will turn 35 in April, is one of the finest defensive third basemen in Major League Baseball history.
DENVER, CO – APRIL 06: Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) holds both his Platinum and Gold Gloves awarded to him during pregame ceremonies before the Rockies played the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field April 06, 2019. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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Arenado has won 10 Gold Gloves, including six with the Colorado Rockies, the team that drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
Arenado also earned six Platinum Gloves, with his most recent award coming in 2022.
Arenado spent parts of eight years with the Rockies, before being traded to the Cardinals for five players.
it would be foolish to characterize Arenado as just a defensive wizard. In fact, he has compiled a very fine career .282/.338/.507/.846 stat line, with 405 doubles, 34 triples, 353 home runs, and 1,184 RBIs in 7,514 plate appearances.
Last season, Arenado hit 237/.289/.377/.666, with 18 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, and 52 RBIs in 436 plate appearances, covering 107 games.
Arenado has been an All Star eight times, most recently in 2023, with the Cardinals.
In 2015, Arenado hit 43 homers, and drove in 130 runs for the Rockies.
Arenado followed that All Star campaign with 41 homers, and 133 RBIs in 2016.
ST. LOUIS, MO – JULY 17: A detail view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on a hat in the dugout prior to the start of the game against the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium on July 17, 2023 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
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The wait is over for the Cardinals.
St. Louis has been trying to move on from Arenado for quite some time, looking to shed his contract, and refresh their roster.
For their part, the Diamondbacks have solidified a third base position, a role that has been difficult to stabilize after the team traded Eugenio Suarez to the Seattle Mariners.
Incumbent third baseman Blaze Alexander will likely get an opportunity to win the left field job.
fangraphs.com slots Arenado hitting 6th in manager Torey Lovullo’s Dbacks lineup. Here is the fangraphs.com projected 2026 Diamondbacks lineup:
Geraldo Perdomo-SS
Ketel Marte-2B
Corbin Carroll-RF
Gabriel Moreno-C
Pavin Smith-1B (could be subject to platoon)
Nolan Arenado-3B
Adrian Del Castillo-DH (subject to platoon)
Blaze Alexander-LF
Alek Thomas-CF (could be subject to platoon)
Obtaining Arenado is the second major transaction for Mike Hazen and his Dbacks in recent days.
On January 10, Hazen acquired pitcher Josh Grosz from the Rockies for outfielder Jake McCarthy.
Conclusions:
Both the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks achieved offseason goals with the trade of Nolan Arenado to Arizona.
The Cardinals shed the contract of Arenado as they churn their major league roster.
The Diamondbacks bring stability to a potentially troublesome third base position with a superb defensive third base they hope still has some offensive firepower in the tank.
Update: In a morning press conference after the trade, Mike Hazen made a point of stating how important Arenado’s defense, and his presence off the field will mean to the club-especially in setting an example for young players.