Diamondbacks acquire 8-time All-Star Nolan Arenado from Cardinals

The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire 34-year-old third baseman Nolan Arenado, who adds a potential future Hall of Famer on the back end of his career to the lineup.

The Diamondbacks are sending out pitching prospect Jack Martinez, whom the club drafted out of Arizona State last summer, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported.

The Athletic’s Katie Woo first reported the deal was close and that Arenado would waive his no-trade clause.

Arenado provides an answer for who will start at third base this upcoming season, allowing the D-backs to utilize young infielders Blaze Alexander and Jordan Lawlar in other ways, including potentially the outfield.

Arenado is a 13-year MLB veteran with eight All-Star Games, 10 Gold Gloves, six Platinum Gloves and six top-10 finishes for the National League MVP. His ability to field anything and make perfect throws was modern-day Brooks Robinson-esque during his prime, and he consistently barreled up 30-42 home runs from 2015-22.

He will turn 35 years old in April and is in another phase of his career from his dominant days with the Colorado Rockies, coming off a career-low .666 OPS.

His bounce-back potential offensively, strong defense and veteran leadership were among reasons general manager Mike Hazen presented to make this commitment.

“He really solidifies our defense on the infield, it’s been a priority for us to improve our defense, which I believe is gonna have a direct impact on our pitching in a significant way,” Hazen said.

“I think it builds out the depth around our team, allowing some of the younger guys to be versatile. … The impact he can have when he is not playing, inside the walls, is important to us. I think he’s a good fit from that standpoint, too.”

How much are the Diamondbacks paying Nolan Arenado?

The veteran has two years left on his contract and is owed $16 million in payroll in 2026 and $15 million in 2027 with some added deferred money. AZCental.com’s Nick Piecoro first reported that the D-backs are only on the hook for $5 million in 2026 and $6 million in 2027, while the Cardinals eat most of the remaining money owed.

The rebuilding Cardinals were willing to take on $15-20 million to get a deal done with Houston last offseason, according to MLB.com, but Arenado blocked the trade. The Cardinals are retaining $24 million on players they traded earlier this offseason (Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras).

The Diamondbacks took star second baseman Ketel Marte off the trade block last week, which ended their chances of signing free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, who has since agreed to terms with the Chicago Cubs.

This trade is a cascading effect from the Marte decision, as the club evaluated where the roster stood with him on the team and attacked an area of need.

Arenado joins a lineup bolstered by Marte, Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno and Geraldo Perdomo.

“ I think as we wound down the Ketel situation, one of the things I talked about, (we) were ready to keep him the entire time, how are we gonna build around him?” Hazen said. “Solidifying some of the corner to the infield was gonna be a priority for us.”

Gambadoro reported that this move for a right-handed bat does not rule out a Paul Goldschmidt reunion. The bullpen is going to be a priority moving forward.

Arenado will make $27 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027, including deferrals. From what I am hearing, the Cardinals will be picking up the majority of the contract with Arizona paying roughly $10 million over the two years.

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) January 13, 2026

Who are the Diamondbacks getting in 2026 Nolan Arenado?

Over the past three years, Arenado has averaged 2.4 wins above replacement per 162 games with a .725 OPS and 18 home runs per season. He slashed .237/.289/.377 last year (hit .294 against lefties) with 12 home runs in 107 games, having missed time with a right shoulder sprain.

He dealt with a finger issue before the shoulder injury knocked him out, one explanation for drop in power, although his OPS has declined in each of the past three seasons.

The right-handed hitter was still an average bat in 2024 with a .719 OPS and 16 home runs, and the Diamondbacks could use a bounce-back campaign to that level to deepen the lineup.

“We definitely see the ability to bounce back here,” Hazen said. “We know how much work he is gonna put into that. … We probably have a little better ballpark to hit in, and so we look for him to be a solid offensive contributor for us in our lineup. With the firepower we have at the top of our lineup, we’re not looking for him to carry the offense.”

A positive is that he puts the bat on the ball. He struck out at a career-low 11.2% (excluding 2020), however his contact quality has dipped in the past couple years. His 86.8 mph exit velocity last season was among the bottom 10% of the league.

He also pulls the ball in the air at a high rate (25% in 2025), which should play better at Chase Field.

Arenado played with Colorado from 2013-20 until he was traded to St. Louis, where he spent the past five years. Having played in the NL West for so many seasons, he has 77 games of experience at Chase Field with an .841 OPS and 13 home runs.

Arenado is not the otherworldly defender that he once was, but he’s still very good at third base coming off a season with six defensive runs saved and three outs above average. He committed five errors, the fewest among 18 third basemen with at least 750 innings.

In the vein of Evan Longoria joining the club in 2023, Arenado has seen a lot throughout his career. He is eighth on the active players leaderboard in games played and home runs, hitting 353. His teams have made the postseason four times, but he has yet to reach the World Series. Winning was a notable theme in Hazen’s conversation with Arenado, who is generally considered a highly competitive player.

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