Nolan Arenado is an eight-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and many in the baseball world believe the young third baseman is on his way to a plaque in Cooperstown at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
One thing he hasn’t accomplished is postseason success, with just five postseason hits in 33 at-bats in 13 seasons.
He hopes the Arizona Diamondbacks’ young move can change that trend.
“I still want to play in the finals,” said Arenado. “I know my numbers aren’t bad, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I was prepared and I’ve always been. I haven’t played the way I expected.”
“I want a chance to repeat and I don’t see why this team can’t do that,” he added. “That’s why I’m really open to play here. My expectations are still high.”
Not surprisingly, Arenado was traded on Tuesday from the rebuilding St. Louis Cardinals, considering they had traded him heavily for over a year. However, the end came quickly. Now he joins a franchise trying to make the postseason for the first time since its run to the World Series in 2023.
“I was shocked, because this project has been going on for a while, so I was like, ‘Man, I can’t believe we’re finally here,'” said Arenado.
Arenado — who turns 35 in April — will be playing for his third MLB team after five years with the Cardinals and the first eight with the Colorado Rockies. He said his departure from the Cardinals was pleasant and he had good conversations with the team’s president of baseball, Chaim Bloom, even if the process took longer than both parties expected.
Bloom made it clear that St. Louis — which finished 78-84 last season — is in rebuilding mode.
“It was obvious that there was a step they needed to take to let these little boys go, find out who they are and who they are and I was just a part of that in a sense,” said Arenado. “But I loved my time there.”
Arenado wasn’t an offensive force last season, hitting .237 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs, but he offers experience and above-average defense at third base after the D-backs dealt slugger Eugenio Suarez at last season’s trade deadline.
The right-handed slugger also believes he could have a bounce-back season at the plate.
Arenado said he has sent a hit video to several D-backs coaches as they try to start spring training. He will join a new, fast-paced lineup that includes Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo.
“I’m waiting to go out and help this team win on both sides,” said Arenado. “I know the last few years haven’t gone the way I wanted them to. Obviously, I’ve dealt with some injuries and different things, but I think some of the changes I’m trying to make … will pay dividends down the line.”
Making a play for Arenado’s potential late resurgence makes sense for the D-backs, especially since it’s a low-cost move. Arenado is owed $42 million over the next two seasons, but the Cardinals are still paying $31 million of his salary as part of the deal.
“We’ve always liked the way he plays and the impact he can have when he’s not playing,” Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said Tuesday. “I think he’s a good fit. I know what winning means to him and it’s important to him — and it’s important to us.”
Arenado waived his no-trade clause to accept the deal.
The Southern California native said he has expanded the list of teams that will accept trades this offseason, adding the Diamondbacks and several other teams to the list, bringing the total to eight to 10 teams. He said that’s up from five or six places he would have accepted a trade last season.
Now in the final years of his career, he is ready to provide leadership to a D-backs team hungry for improvement after a disappointing 80-82 season in 2025.
He also believes he has a lot of good baseball ahead of him.
“I’m not a very talkative person, I’m quiet and I try not to talk too much,” Arenado said. “I feel like if I do that, hopefully it can reach people. I try to show who I am in the way I work — the way I run my business.”
