Cardinals talk about a deal for Nolan Arenado

Cardinals talk about a deal for Nolan Arenado

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Oh no … has a NL Central team finally decided that they will try to compete this season? Because if the latest rumors are true, the St. Louis Cardinals may not be exploiting a trademark for Rockies star Nolan Arenado, the third baseman.

Nolan Arenado apparently put himself on the trading block, not long after signing an eight-year $ 260 million extension with the Rockies a few years ago, when his promised vision for the team’s future did not match actions of the franchise off the field / in the market (basically, they did not spend as much / try to compete as much as they told him). And so the Rockies tried to move a (rightly) dissatisfied Arenado to make him happy … but also so that they could release enough money to extend the free agent of the Trevor Story in the long run.

And although ‘no agreement seems close yet’, there are specific details and a lot of momentum (emphasis on me):

The Cardinals are in talks with the Rockies over an agreement to move the five-time All-Star third baseman to St. Louis. Louis will bring, according to the leagues in the league. No match seems close, and the other players who may be involved are not known.

Arenado (29) probably would renounce its non-trading clause to join the Cardinals, and perhaps agrees to relinquish his right to withdraw to the 2021 season. The Rockies to almost certainly escape its $ 199 million guarantee over the next six seasons would absorb at least one expensive veteran from the Cardinals while also receiving prospects in the transaction.

NOTE: This is not the first time the Cardinals and Rockies have discussed such an agreement.

One of the biggest obstacles to any Arenado trade (except of course all the money) is the presence of an opt-out after the 2021 season. Due to the clause, any team acquiring him could not be sure that they would get him for more than a year, making the deal with a value in trade particularly difficult. However, if Arenado pushes back his opt-out, as he is reportedly willing to do, it could help facilitate a deal by offering more cardinal (or whoever) control and security.

Another important detail here is that the Cardinals would return one expensive veteran contract to the Rockies to reimburse the significant money Arenado owes. Maybe third baseman Matt Carpenter ($ 18.5 million payable in 2021, $ 18.5 million club option in 2022 with a $ 2 million buyout) will fit the bill? Just a guess.

Either way, trading with Arenado could actually be enough to turn the Cardinals favorites into a particularly weak NL Central this season – ZiPS has Carpenter at 1.7 WAR for 2021 and Arenado at 4.1 WAR, for what it’s worth it. So it’s a deal I’d rather not let happen (and yes, I’m aware of Arenado’s campaign in 2020 and the weaknesses they’ve seen from Coors … I do not want him in this season yet) St. Louis have not). And of course there is also the possibility that St. Louis Arenado can become a permanent home, even after trade / opt-out, which I would rather avoid.

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Now, there is a whole OTHER aspect to this that we need to address: the market for Kris Bryant.

If Arenado is traded to the Cardinals, it could be a good thing for Bryant’s market (assuming it’s a reasonable return *), as it requires similar competition (an expensive, 3B) hitting right. , while moving on to a team that is definitely NOT going to trade for Bryant. And especially Rosenthal mentions that the Braves also reported to Arenado. Maybe then we can take them more seriously on the list of possible trading partners for Bryant (who remembers, we expect to start as soon as Justin Turner signs his deal).

* Hopefully the Cardinals are forced to give up a HAUL … for the obvious reasons that I want them to pay (for once) in any trade, but also for the concomitant improvement of the KB market.

Of course, if the Rockies release enough money to expand Trevor Story (and if the Mets Francisco Lindor expands, as I expect), Javy Baez may see much lighter shortstop competition on the market next winter and decide to hold out. ‘ an expansion with the Cubs. Or maybe I’m just too pessimistic because everything has been rough lately.

In any case, nothing has happened yet, and even Rosenthal admits that a deal is not necessarily close. It again feels like the kind of report that appears before things get serious.

We will probably follow it very closely tomorrow. Good night.

UPDATE: Local reporter (St. Louis) Derrick Goold confirms the talks, but he appears to be cautious, given Arenado’s opt-out and the large remaining salary.

UPDATE II: And now a local report from Denver is pumping the brakes, re-introducing the Braves as a possible suitor. Is it semantics? Legal setback? Suspicious useful information is systematically leaked for the sake of maintaining leverage? We’ll see!

(Photo by Getty Images)

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