Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals $260 Million Star Is Out To Change People's Minds

The Cardinals are lucky to still have the superstar still in town...
Patrick McAvoy|
Mar 29, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a one run single against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a one run single against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a lot of things to be happy about so far in the young season.

Although there is a lot to be excited about right now, there's isn't a more feel-good story right now than third baseman Nolan Arenado.

This is a guy who has been great for the Cardinals since 2021. He was in trade rumors all offseason. The Cardinals made it clear they wanted to move him and Arenado also seemingly was open to a chance if it met his criteria. A trade didn't happen though to the surprise of many.

Arenado is a superstar but there's been a lot of not-so-great chatter about him over the last few months. He had a solid 2024 season in comparison to pretty much every other third baseman, but it wasn't up to his superstar standard. He slashed .272/.325/.394 with 17 home runs and 71 RBIs in 152 games.

We're just four games into the season, but Arenado has looked great. He has six base hits in 15 at-bats. Arenado is slashing .400/.500/.733 with one home run, three RBIs, two doubles, and three walks in four games.

So far this season he's in the 92nd percentile in strikeout rate, 88th percentile in whiff rate, and is seeing an uptick in exit velocity. He's also unsurprisingly been good defensively and is in the 95th percentile in range (OAA).

The Cardinals are lucky to still have Arenado and he's looked good so far. The biggest reason why the Cardinals wanted to trade him is cost. He has two seasons left beyond this campaign on his $260 million contract. What's next for him?

More MLB: Cardinals Phenom Has Turned Heads Early For St. Louis

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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