Cardinals To Snag All-Star 3B Nolan Arenado In Trade With Rockies

The St. Louis Cardinals are landing Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado in a trade that still had some moving parts as of late Friday, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Cardinals pitcher Austin Gomber, first baseman Luken Baker and outfielder Jhon Torres are expected to be part of the package headed to Colorado. "Return also might include RHP Jake Woodford or RHP Angel Rondón," Rosenthal added.

Arenado, 29, has been with the Rockies since 2013 and has been a member of five NL All-Star teams. He is entering the third of an eight-year, $260 million contract.

"Industry sources expect a portion of Arenado’s salary to be deferred," wrote Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. "The Cardinals’ only two significant contracts beyond 2021 belong to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and pitcher Miles Mikolas. According to his contract’s terms, Arenado could opt out after 2021 and become a free agent, which also might have been addressed during trade talks."

Arenado has hit more than 40 home runs in three different seasons and has also driven in at least 130 runs on three occasions. He would undoubtedly bring some life to a 2020 Cardinals lineup that finished next-to-last in the NL in runs.