Nolan Arenado trade grades for Diamondbacks, Cardinals

The rebuild under the Gateway Arch continues. After trying to trade him for over a year, the St. Louis Cardinals finally dealt longtime third baseman Nolan Arenado. Per multiple sources, Arenado has been dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The return for the Cardinals, shared by ClutchPoints’ Joey Mistretta via X, formerly Twitter, is 2025 draft pick Jack Martinez.

“The Cardinals are trading 3B Nolan Arenado and cash considerations to the Diamondbacks for RHP Jack Martinez, the teams announced,” posted Mistretta shortly after news of the deal broke.

The Cardinals will also pay the majority of Arenado’s contract over the next two seasons. The Diamondbacks will need to pay just $11 million out of the entire $42 million sum. Now, the 34-year-old will take over at the hot corner, looking to lead Arizona back to the postseason after a couple of missed Octobers. Meanwhile, the rebuild in St. Louis under the new president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, continues. How did both sides fare out in Tuesday’s swap?

Cardinals continue rebuild with Nolan Arenado trade

Bloom has been busy this offseason. Before Tuesday’s trade of Arenado, the new leader of the Cardinals’ baseball operations sent veterans Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in separate deals. With Arenado joining the pair of stars on their way out of Busch Stadium, the focus for St. Louis is the continued development of their young players.

Now, that will include Martinez. An eighth-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft, Martinez started for three separate programs in college, so he’s used to moving around. The Athletic’s Katie J. Woo dropped a brief scouting report on the 22-year-old Tuesday: “He sits 92-94 mph with an above-average changeup and below-average slider, working with a very long arm action that looks better suited to a relief role.”

The meager return, plus the fact that the Cardinals will pay $31 million of Arenado’s remaining deal over the next two years, screams salary dump. In many ways, that’s precisely what this deal is. After all, Arenado will turn 35 in April. He’s been in decline the last few years, with injuries playing a big role. If he can turn it around in the desert, then it’s certainly possible he’ll be a key part of a Diamondbacks squad looking to return to October.

Bloom and the Cardinals will now turn to one of their young players at third. It looks as if another Nolan will take Arenado’s place, as Nolan Gorman could certainly take over in a full-time role. While rumors continue to swirl around St. Louis, Bloom may continue to make moves over the next few weeks. Will All-Star utility player Brendan Donovan become the next Cardinal fixture to leave the nest? In his quest to make the Cards a perennial postseason contender once again, Bloom will certainly make any move that will help accomplish that goal.

Cardinals Grade: B-

Diamondbacks Grade: C

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