The St. Louis Cardinals are closing a deal to acquire third star baseman Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies, a blockbuster that still needs various approvals but is expected to be completed in the coming days, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday .
The complicated deal took months of discussion and gained momentum in recent weeks as the Rockies pledged to send around $ 50 million for part of the six years and $ 199 million for Arenado’s contract.
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If closed, the deal would include several adjustments to Arenado’s contract, including an additional $ 15 million guaranteed year, an additional opt-out clause, and a reinstatement of the no-trade clause, which he has to waive to complete the trade.
Since a significant amount of money would be moved, the deal must be approved by Major League Baseball. Similarly, the MLB Players Association has to sign the contract as Arenado is expected to put money on hold and change his contract.
If the deal played through to the finish line, the Cardinals would significantly bolster their status as a favorite in the National League Central, the Rockies would trade their franchisee for just two years for a deal that should keep him in their uniform until 2026, and Arenado would leave the only team he played for – and one he sought a deal with after believing he’d done a bad job building around it.
The 29-year-old Arenado won a gold glove in each of his eight seasons in Colorado, during which he became one of the best baseball players. Prior to the 2019 season, he signed an eight-year $ 260 million extension with the Rockies, which he drafted in 2009 and pledged to become perennial competitor.
The team struggled almost immediately, frustrating Arenado, and clearing their way to St. Louis for a deal that tried to trade for him prior to the 2020 season and eventually succeeded a year later. The return for the Rocky Mountains is not expected to be significant as pitcher Austin Gomber has little prospect among the players discussed.
In Arenado, the Cardinals receive a diamond addition to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, another experienced right-hander that they acquired through retailers. The market for Arenado was not entirely robust as there was still a lot of money left on its deal. The Cardinals and Rockies haggled for months before reaching an agreement on Friday night.
The Cardinals banned longtime starter Adam Wainwright on Thursday on a $ 8 million deal, and longtime catcher Yadier Molina has announced in recent days that he is likely to return to the Cardinals, especially if they could acquire Arenado.
The Rockies wanted to both escape the huge commitment to Arenado and avoid the possibility of him triggering the opt-out clause in his contract that follows the upcoming season. As part of a restructured deal – in which Arenado would also defer money – he will receive another opt-out after 2022, tackle a seventh year in 2026, guarantee himself $ 214 million during this time and his No. – Maintain trade clause.
Colorado welcomed Gomber, a 27-year-old left-handed man who had played an excellent swing role last season. Several perspectives were discussed, according to The Athletic, who first reported on the deal. While the hard-hitting first baseman Luken Baker’s name has been reported as part of the potential prospectus package, it is not expected to be included in the deal, a source told ESPN.
With Colorado paying a significant portion of Arenado’s future salary, St. Louis will pay him about $ 25 million a year, increasing his payroll to around $ 160 million.
Arenado, a five-time All-Star, battled with a 0.253 hit with eight homers during the shortened 2020 season before missing the final nine games with a bruise on his left shoulder. The downward year came after hitting a career best of 0.315 in 2019 with 41 homers and 118 RBIs.
After trading with Troy Tulowitzki, Arenado became the linchpin of the Rocky Mountains, leading them to a wild card for 2018. His extension might have kept him in Colorado for the rest of his career, but his relationship with general manager Jeff Bridich was bad and Arenado clearly wanted to get off this winter.
In December, Rockies manager Bud Black downplayed rumors that Arenado and Shortstop Trevor Story were trading and said, “I expect they will be with us on opening day.”
Arenado won’t be. And if Colorado can’t get a renewal deal with its all-star shortstop, Story could be on the move at some point this season too, as the Rockies may not want to lose him through a free agency in the winter of 2021. 22nd
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