The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired third baseman Nolan Arenado in an exchange with the Colorado Rockies, sources confirmed on Friday against ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Rockies will get multiple players in the deal and will send more than $ 50 million to St. Louis, sources said.
The news was first reported by The Athletic.
29-year-old Arenado will earn $ 35 million in 2021 as part of an eight-year $ 260 million contract he signed with the Rockies in 2019. The deal includes an opt-out clause after the ’21 season.
A five-time All-Star, Arenado struggled with the record during the shortened 2020 season, hitting .253 with eight homers before missing the last nine games with a left shoulder bruise. He also earned an eighth straight Gold Glove.
The down year came after hitting a career best .315 with 41 homers and 118 RBI’s in 2019.
In December, Rockies manager Bud Black downplayed rumors that Arenado and shortstop Trevor Story would be trading, saying, “I expect they will be with us on opening day.”
The Rockies have missed the playoffs for the past two seasons after making the wildcard round in 2017 and the National League Division Series in 2018.