The St. Louis Cardinals acquired third baseman Nolan Arenado in a deal with the Colorado Rockies, sources confirmed to Jeff Passan, ESPN, Friday.
The Rockies get several players in the deal and will give more than $ 50 million to St. Louis. Louis sends, sources said.
The news was first reported by The Athletic.
Arenado, 29, will earn $ 35 million in 2021 as part of a $ 260 million eight-year contract he signed with the Rockies in 2019. The deal includes an opt-out clause after the ’21 season.
Arenado, a five-time All-Star, struggled on the board during the shortened 2020 season, hitting 0.253 with eight homers before missing the last nine games with a bruise on his left shoulder. He also achieved an eighth gold glove.
The downturn came after he achieved a career-best .315 with 41 homers and 118 RBIs in 2019.
In December, Bud Black, manager of Rockies, downplayed rumors that Arenado and shortstop Trevor Story would be traded, saying, “My expectation is that they will be with us, on opening day.”
The Rockies have missed the playoffs over the past two seasons after winning the wild card round in 2017 and the National League Division Series in 2018.