The St. Louis Cardinals completed their third base upgrade Monday, confirming the acquisition of Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies.
The trade sent Arenado and cash to the Cardinals in exchange for left-hander Austin Gomber, right-handers Tony Locey and Jake Sommers and infielders Mateo Gil and Elehuris Montero.
The Cardinals announced that they reached an agreement with Arenado on a one-year contract extension carrying his deal through the 2027 season. He retained opt-out clauses that can be exercised after the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The team did not divulge the cash going from the Rockies to St. Louis, but multiple media outlets reported that the Cardinals will get $50 million to pay part of the $199 million that Arenado is guaranteed through the 2026 season.
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Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said in a statement, “Many have heard me say that one of the great things about baseball is that you always have a chance to get better. Today we got better!
“A deal of this nature, acquiring a player of Nolan’s considerable talents, are the ones that can set you apart in many ways. It certainly shows the commitment of Mr. DeWitt and ownership to continue to give our great fans a team that aims to win — both now and in the future.”
Arenado, 29, is a five-time All-Star, an eight-time Gold Glove winner and a four-time Silver Slugger winner. He lobbied his way out of Colorado after criticizing the team’s direction under general manager Jeff Bridich and owner Dick Monfort.
Arenado batted .253 with eight home runs, 26 RBIs and 23 runs in 48 games in 2020 after hitting a career-best .315 with 41 home runs and 118 RBIs the previous year.
He owns a career .293 average with a .349 on-base percentage, a .541 slugging percentage, 235 homers, 760 RBIs and 649 runs in eight years (1,079 games), all for Colorado.
Cardinals third basemen last year, primarily Matt Carpenter and Tommy Edman, combined for a .216 average with five homers and 33 RBIs in 58 games.
Gomber, 27, pitched for the Cardinals in 2018 and 2020, making 43 appearances, including 15 starts. He owns a 7-3 record with a 3.72 ERA.
Locey, 22, has never appeared higher than Class A. In three minor league seasons, the University of Georgia product has a 1-2 record with a 5.29 ERA in 12 games, all in relief.
Sommers, 23, started his pro career in 2019 by going 2-3 with a 4.18 ERA in 12 games (10 starts) at the rookie-ball level.
Gil, 20, has reached high Class-A ball, and he has a .257 average with eight homers and 50 RBIs in 98 games over two minor league seasons.
Montero, 22, advanced as high as Double-A in 2019. He has a .269 average with 32 homers and 192 RBIs in 360 minor league games over five seasons.
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–Field Level Media