St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado has decided to opt into the remainder of his five-year deal, which has massive implications for St. Louis.
Cardinals fans, rejoice: Nolan Arenado is here to stay.
The Athletic’s Katie Woo broke the news on Saturday, citing a source that confirmed the news.
Woo provides the context of his deal, as it was his second and final opportunity to opt out of his five-year, $144 million contract. This means that Arenado won’t be an unrestricted free agent until 2028, marking a monumental long-term commitment to the Cardinals organization. In turn, the Cardinals have been heavily invested in keeping Arenado around for as long as possible, per Woo.
“The Cardinals had expressed optimism throughout the 2022 season that the seven-time All-Star would return to St. Louis. After St. Louis was eliminated from the postseason, talks between the Cardinals and Arenado began to intensify.”
Accomplishing this deal, which has clearly been a priority for the organization, means St. Louis has one less thing to worry about as they seek to build a championship roster.
Cardinals notch major win in keeping Nolan Arenado to stay through 2027
The Cardinals finished the regular season at the top of NL Central standings with a 93-69 record. It was a satisfying ending to a historic victory lap for both Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, but sadly, it didn’t end by fulfilling World Series aspirations.
The birds caught a tough break in the postseason, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series in a 2-0 series.
With Pujols and Molina gone, the Cardinals have now secured two key players they’ll need to make another postseason run next season. Locking up the 31-year-old Arenado for the next five years is critical, as is locking down Adam Wainwright for his own impending victory lap.
Building with Arenado and Wainwright allows the Cardinals to focus on addressing areas of need such as catcher, while also allowing the organization to fill four open positions on the coaching staff. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak noted that “you’re always in need of pitching”, and that pitching and catching would be concerns heading into winter meetings.
Today’s news marks a major win for the Cardinals, allowing the organization to begin a rebuild with two of their most impactful veterans secured on the 2023 roster.