Nolan Arenado’s time as a St. Louis Cardinal has come to a close. Once the partner to Paul Goldschmidt that the organization believed would assist in their climb back to the top of the baseball world, is now headed to the desert to join the Arizona Diamondbacks, first reported by Katie Woo of The Athletic.
Trade speculation has followed Arenado’s name for the past two seasons, but the news finally broke at a time when the Cardinals are struggling to bring fans to the ballpark, win on the field, and set an overall direction for their franchise. Despite the shortcomings for the Cardinals during his five-year tenure with the Birds on the Bat across his chest, Arenado provided countless electrifying plays at third base and moments at Busch Stadium that produced an astounding roar from the crowd.
In February of 2021, the Cardinals would acquire Arenado, already perceived as a Hall of Fame third baseman, from the Colorado Rockies. “I expect to be here for a long time. I’m not worried about that,” Arenado said, according to Zach Silver of MLB.com. He was here for five seasons and has entered the twilight of his career; all good things must come to an end as the Cardinals move on without Arenado.
During his five seasons, Arenado was named to three All-Star teams and won two Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, and, when Goldschmidt won the National League MVP in 2022, he finished in third. That was the first time since the 2013 season that two Cardinals finished in the top five of MVP voting, when Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter finished third and fourth, respectively.
Arenado failed to see a Cardinals postseason win, but in his first two seasons, the team made the postseason before finishing under .500 in two of his final three seasons.
His 2022 season was special, marked by the aforementioned MVP finish, along with the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. Arenado was also the National League leader in Wins Above Replacement, with 7.9. The Cardinals' third baseman would also hit 30 home runs in that season, which was the last time that he reached that mark.
Production dipped in his final three seasons, with his power numbers steadily declining and his longtime hold of the National League Gold Glove at third base coming to an end in 2022. It became apparent that Arenado was not the player he used to be, and it would take a massive resurgence to return to the top of his game.
Without a doubt, in the toughest of times, Arenado showed up to the ballpark to work. With the team winning or losing, in a slump or on a hot streak, Arenado was a steady worker and was always there to compete. As the Cardinals move on from the future Hall of Famer and look to the future, we look back and thank Arenado for what he meant to this team, the fans, and to this city.