Nolan Arenado's Return to St. Louis Brings Back Positive Memories for Cardinals Legend

Nolan Arenado was well loved in St. Louis

Jun 22, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) salutes the fans as he receives a standing ovation in his first visit back to St. Louis during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals began a four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night at Busch Stadium. Third baseman Nolan Arenado made his return to Busch Stadium as a visiting player for the first time since being traded to Arizona last offseason.

The Cardinals acquired him in 2021, and he helped get them to the postseason twice and even had an MVP-caliber season in 2022, barely missing out while Paul Goldschmidt got the award. But after St. Louis fell out of contention in 2023, the tides began to shift.

Still, Arenado was well loved by the fanbase and his teammates. On Monday, Lance Lynn reflected on his brief time as Arenado's teammate and what he was like.

"I thought he was awesome. He was everything that I expected him to be and heard he was," Lynn said. "Great teammate, took care of the young guys."

Nolan Arenado remembered fondly in St. Louis

Sep 15, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) fields a ground ball hit by Cincinnati Reds third baseman Santiago Espinal (not pictured) in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Arenado is an eight-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, five-time Silver Slugger and six-time Platinum Glove award winner. He was long seen as the missing piece for the Cardinals after a few years of struggles.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals did not capitalize on the time that they had with Arenado, and it ultimately did not lead to more success. However, that doesn't take away from the impact he had on the city of St. Louis and his teammates.

He was still loved in St. Louis and provided some great memories as a member of the Cardinals. He hit a game-winning home run in his first home game with the team in 2021, played a key role in a 17-game winning streak later that season and also helped guide them to the postseason twice.

While the Cardinals didn't accomplish much more than that, he still was a fixture in a Cardinals uniform and was a veteran leader in a young clubhouse. But as the Cardinals entered their rebuild, it was clear that Arenado no longer had a fit in St. Louis. Still, Lynn enjoyed his time as Arenado's teammate.

It will be interesting to see where the Cardinals are later in the season, but there were certainly a lot of fond memories involving Arenado, and Lynn can attest to that, having played his final season in the major leagues with the eight-time All-Star.

The Cardinals won the first game of the series on Monday night, but Arenado got a hit in his first at-bat back in St. Louis.