The St. Louis Cardinals traded third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez and cash considerations.
Arenado, 34, spent five seasons with the Cardinals from 2021 through 2025, becoming one of the club’s most consistent performers during that stretch. He was named to three All-Star teams and played a key role in the Cardinals’ 2022 National League Central championship, finishing third in MVP voting that season.
In return, the Cardinals add a young pitching prospect in Martinez, who was selected by Arizona in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Arizona State. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander also pitched collegiately at Trinity University in Texas and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In his final college season, Martinez went 6-4 with a 5.94 ERA in 15 starts for Arizona State, striking out 110 batters over 77 and a third innings.
Martinez, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, posted a combined 20-8 record with a 4.76 ERA over 75 career college appearances, including 28 starts.