One team eventually decided to try to become the best in NL Central.
The Cardinals were on the verge of acquiring Nolan Arenado from the Rockies on Friday night. Because $ 50 million would be moving from Colorado to St. Louis and because Arenado would be an additional opt out after the 2022 season, in addition to the 2021 season, the deal would need to be approved by MLB and the Players Association. The expectation is that this can be done by Sunday or early Monday and the business can be finalized.
If so, it would mark the first significant import of talent after a three-month holiday at NL Central in which talent only flowed backwards.
Josh Bell, Yu Darvish, Raisel Iglesias, John Lester, Joe Musgrove, Jose Quintana, Kyle Schwarber, Jameson Tillon, and the prospect that Trevor Bauer will soon outscore NL Central. By Friday when Adam Wainwright re-signed with the Cardinals and Jock Pederson agreed to a deal with the Cubs, the entire division had combined to spend less than $ 3 million on free agency. The Reds still haven’t signed a major league free agent and Wainwright was the first by the Cardinals.
But now St. Louis was on the verge of a seismic move. The Cardinals would be sending five prospects to the Rockies – but none of their elite minors. Arenado owes $ 199 million for the next six years and, as MLB Network’s John Heyman first reported, if the deal is completed, it will receive an additional $ 15 million for the seventh year.
There is risk beyond money. Arenado already had the right to opt out of his contract after the 2021 season, and now he has the same after 2022, and there has always been a sense in the game that he would love to find a way to his Southern California roots . St. Louis, however, is a baseball-crazy city and players often love playing for a regular contender with such a positive fan base.
For now, Arenado is a winner if the business goes through as he survives a toxic situation in Colorado. He signed an eight-year, $ 260 million extension after the 2018 season. He believed that Rocky was not only making a commitment to him, but was trying to be a perennial contender. So Arenado was disappointed when the team did not continue investing in payroll to chase better players. He ended up in a feud with GM Jeff Bridich and it became clear that he wanted a divorce.
In the brief time of 2020, Arnado hit his worst season, hitting .253 with a .738 OPS while struggling with an injured shoulder. The Cardinals must have been wandering which was a disgrace and Arnedo is the player who took the top eight in NL MVP voting from 2015–19. Also last year, he won his eighth Gold Glove in eight years as he established himself as the best third baseman ever.
For the Rockies, they are giving a face to their franchise. They are sending so much money to the Cardinals to avoid contract flaws, potentially open space to retain star shortstop Trevor Story, who is a free agent after the 2021 season, and essentially buy prospects, including The pitching is expected to include Austin Gomber, first baseman Luken Baker and outfielder Jhon Torres.
The deal has overtones when the Marlins traded Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees after the 2017 season. Both Stanton and Arenado are represented by Joel Wolff. Both signed mega-contracts to be with the team that drafted them in the second round. Both are disillusioned with organizations that do not push them after signing. The Cardinals actually worked a trade for Stanton, but they invited their no-trade clause and – like Arnedo – initially expected their Southern California roots to end with the Dodgers.
Stanton accepted a trade for the Yankees, who took out $ 52 million in savings from the Marlins, who ate $ 30 million and took $ 22 million on a contract with Starlin Castro.
This time it was on the cards for St. Louis to land such a star to avoid a deteriorating situation.
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