*Photo from The Athletic*
After the constant trade rumors swirling around Colorado Rockies star 3B Nolan Arenado, he is finally on the move. The Rockies and St.Louis Cardinals have agreed to a blockbuster trade that sends Arenado and significant cash to St.Louis for a package of 5 prospects, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The MLB and the MLBPA have signed off on the deal, which has also been confirmed by both teams.
Austin Gomber, Mateo Gil, Elehuris Montero, Tony Locey, and Jake Sommers are headed to Colorado in the trade. Gomber is no longer a prospect, as he has exceeded his prospect status during the 2018 season. Montero is the highest ranked prospect moving, as he is ranked 8th in the Cardinals system. Locey is ranked 19th, Gil ranked 22nd, and Sommers is outside the top 30.
Gomber is the only one with major league experience, pitching to a 1-1 record with a 1.86 ERA, striking out 27 hitters in 29 innings pitched in 2020, across 14 games, 4 of which were starts. He also appeared in 29 games in 2018 for the Cardinals, posting a 6-2 record with a 4.44 ERA, striking out 67 hitters in 75 innings pitched across 11 starts in his 29 appearances.
As for the money, the Rockies are expected to send around $50 million to the Cardinals in order to cover some of Arenado's massive contract. Arenado is currently on an 8 year, $260 million deal, which he signed with the Rockies prior to the 2019 season. Arenado is expected to defer some money in the trade, and the terms of his contract are expected to change.
Arenado said that he wanted to be a Cardinal for a long time in his press conference, saying that "I said that once in Colorado, but truly, I mean it. I expect to be here for a long time. I'm not worried about that. I didn't want to jump the gun and get too excited, but once I heard that it was done, I was thrilled."
Arenado is expected to gain an opt out after 2022 in addition to keeping his opt out in 2021. Arenado will also retain his full no trade clause, which he is expected to waive in order to join the Cardinals. Arenado is also expected to gain another season on his contract. He is due to make $35 million a season until 2024. It will then drop to $32 million in 2025, and $27 million in 2026.
Cardinals chairman Bill Dewitt Jr said of the acquisition of Nolan Arenado that "When you have an opportunity to get premium players from other clubs, for whatever reason, it’s incumbent upon us to bring them to St. Louis. Many of them, of course, have contributed to our championships, and Nolan certainly fits right into that group and is a premium player."
Arenado struggled slightly in the Pandemic shortened season for the Rockies, hitting .253 with a .738 OPS, hitting 8 homers and 26 RBI in 48 games played. In Arenado's 8 major league seasons, his average is .293 with a .890 OPS, hitting 235 homers and 760 RBI in 1,079 games played.
Arenado also has some impressive hardware in his trophy case thanks to his excellent career. On defense, he has won an NL Gold Glove each of his 8 big league seasons, along with 4 NL Platinum Gloves. On the hitting side, Arenado has 4 silver slugger awards, has finished as high as 3rd place in NL MVP voting, and has made 5 all star games.
The trade for Arenado immediately makes the Cardinals NL Central favorites, and is the biggest acquisition by an NL Central team this offseason, as the division has either gotten worse or hasn't changed with their moves, or lack thereof, this winter.
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