The MLB offseason is still giving huge news every single day. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the St. Louis Cardinals are trading Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks. But what does that mean for the eight-time All-Star contract?
According to Ken Rosenthal and Nick Piecoro, Arenado is owed $42 million, and $31 million will be paid by the Cardinals, meaning the D-Backs will only pay $11 million for the third baseman. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the D-Backs will pay Arenado just $5 million this season and the other $6 million in 2027.
Arenado has been one of the best third bases in baseball, but he is 34 years old now. While everyone centered the 3B sweepstakes on Alex Bregman, the D-Backs focused on landing one of the best players of the last decade, even if he is past his prime.
Arenado is past his prime but still valuable
Producing is not the only thing that matters in the MLB. Experience, leadership, and professionalism also matter a ton. Arenado has plenty of numbers decreasing in the last few years. There was a time where he led the NL in home runs and all the majors in RBIs, but that was a decade ago. In 2025, he slashed .237/.289/.377 in 436 plate appearances. For the Cardinals, he was tradeable, for the D-Backs, he is still a valuable asset.
Alex Bregman #2 of the Boston Red Sox.
At least the D-Backs took action to land the third baseman. For instance, during the Alex Bregman saga, the Red Sox didn’t get the warnings and ended up losing the player to the Cubs. While Arenado is not Bregman at this point in his career, the D-Backs still landed him and in a very cheap deal for them.
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Are the D-Backs a contender now that they landed Arenado?
While this move certainly improves the roster, the D-Backs need a bit more to actually be considered to contenders. Last season they ended 80-82, and they are in a very tough division in baseball.
The AL West is stacked, Arizona has to battle with both the Dodgers and Padres, and they might be level with the Giants in terms of roster. So while this move pushes them up the ladder, it’s still an uphill battle.
