A team eventually decided to try to be the best in NL Central.
The Cardinals were about to acquire Nolan Arenado from the Rockies on Friday night. Because $ 50 million would move from Colorado to St. Louis, and because Arenado would receive an additional opt-out after the 2022 season in addition to his post-2021 season, the deal must be approved by MLB and the Players Association. The hope is that this can be done as early as Sunday or Monday and that the transaction can be completed.
If so, it would be the first significant talent entry into NL Central after three months off-season where the talent only flowed out.
Josh Bell, Yu Darvish, Raisel Iglesias, Jon Lester, Joe Musgrove, Jose Quintana, Kyle Schwarber, Jameson Taillon and probably soon Trevor Bauer have left the NL Central. Until Friday when Adam Wainwright re-signed with the Cardinals and Joc Pederson agreed to a deal with the Cubs, the entire division had spent less than $ 3 million combined on free agency. The Reds still haven’t signed a free agent in the Major League, and Wainwright was the first of the Cardinals.
But now St. Louis was on the brink of seismic movement. The Cardinals would send five prospects to the Rockies, but none of their elite minor leaguers. Arenado is owed $ 199 million for the next six years, and as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman first reported, he will get an additional $ 15 million for a seventh year when this deal closes.
There is more risk than the money. Arenado already had the right to cancel his contract after the 2021 season and now he has the same after 2022, and there has always been a feeling in the game that he would like to find his way back to his Southern California roots. However, St. Louis is a baseball-crazy town and players often fall in love with playing in front of such a positive fan base for a regular contender.
For now, Arenado is a winner if the trade continues as he escapes a toxic situation in Colorado. He signed an eight-year, $ 260 million extension after the 2018 season. He believed the Rockies were not only making a commitment to him, but were trying to be eternal contenders. So Arenado got frustrated when the team didn’t keep investing in the payroll to chase better players. He ended up in an argument with GM Jeff Bridich and it became clear he wanted a divorce.
In the shortened schedule for 2020, Arenado had his worst season, hitting .253 with a .738 OPS while struggling with an injured shoulder. The Cardinals would bet that was an anomaly and that Arenado is the player to finish in the top eight in the 2015-19 NL MVP vote. Last year, he even won his eighth Gold Glove in eight years, establishing himself as one of the greatest third basemen ever.
For the Rockies, they give up a face of their franchise. They’re sending so much money to the Cardinals to escape the burden of the contract, potentially open space to keep star shortstop Trevor Story, who is a free agent after the 2021 season, and essentially buy prospects, which are also expected to include pitcher Austin Gomber, first baseman Luken Baker and outfielder Jhon Torres.
There are overtones in this deal when the Marlins traded Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees after the 2017 season. Both Stanton and Arenado are represented by Joel Wolfe. Both signed mega contracts to stay with the team that drafted them in the second round. Both became disillusioned with organizations that would not keep pushing after they signed them. The Cardinals actually worked out a trade for Stanton, but he invoked his trade ban and – like Arenado – initially hoped to get into his Southern California roots with the Dodgers.
Stanton accepted a deal with the Yankees, who took $ 52 million in savings from the Marlins, who ate $ 30 million and bought the $ 22 million left over from Starlin Castro’s contract.
This time it was in the Cards for St. Louis to land this kind of star in search of a deteriorated situation.