The Cardinals won the Nolan Arenado trade.
Cardinals trade for Nolan Arenado looks even better after latest Rockies roster move originally appeared on The Sporting News
The St. Louis Cardinals completed a trade in 2021 that would alter the course of two franchises. In a stunning blockbuster deal with the Colorado Rockies, the Cardinals picked up Nolan Arenado.
It brought an incredible defensive third baseman with great offense to the Cardinals, and in return, the Rockies acquired five players. Now, four years later, the results from the trade are apparent.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today highlighted how the trade for Arenado has fallen. While some trades, like the San Diego Padres' acquisition of Juan Soto, had the prospect haul reshape the other organization, the same can't be said for the Arenado deal.
St. Louis Won the Arenado Trade
Trading away a star of Arenado's caliber rarely goes well. For the Rockies, it was a complete disaster.
"Just how bad was the Nolan Arenado trade four years ago by the Colorado Rockies with the St. Louis Cardinals?" Nightengale writes. "Well, after the Rockies just released starter Austin Gomber (0-7, 7.49 ERA), they now have exactly no one left from the trade."
Gomber was the final piece from the Arenado trade left in the organization, and his tenure in the Majors didn't last long, nor did it go well. With the starter out in Colorado, none of the five players sent to Colorado are still with the team.
Infielders Mateo Gil and Elehuris Montero are gone, while pitchers Tony Locey and Jake Sommers are also no longer Rockies. Gomber joins those four as the last trade chip the Rockies got back for their incredible third baseman.
In the five seasons he spent in St. Louis, Arenado has been an incredible player. He's accumulated 17.9 WAR, has had 338 runs scored, 705 hits, 140 doubles, 116 home runs, 415 RBIs, and 215 walks. His .779 OPS and 115 OPS+ also signify an above league-average hitter.
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He also has three straight All-Star nods from 2021 to 2023, a third-place MVP finish in 2022, and two Gold Gloves in 2021 and 2022.
Arenado is a 10-time Gold Glove winner and a six-time Platinum Glove winner with five Silver Sluggers and eight All-Star nods. While the 34-year-old hasn't been incredible this season, his overall time in St. Louis has been overwhelmingly positive.
He was still an elite player when the Rockies traded him, and even though he's taken a step back, he's still been a great pickup for the Cardinals in the five years since.
Now, with all of the players sent to Colorado no longer in the organization, the trade is overwhelmingly positive for the Cardinals. At the time, it was an incredible move, and four years later, it still looks like one of the best trades in recent MLB history.
Arenado has been a great pickup for the Cardinals, and with Gomber's release, the deal looks even better for St. Louis.
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Category: Baseball
