The Cardinals are now realizing that Nolan Arenado was well-known to Rockies supporters.
March is quickly approaching, and there is little indication that Nolan Arenado and the St. Louis Cardinals will be able to break out of their awkward holding pattern very soon. With three years remaining on Arenado’s deal, the Cardinals have every incentive to want to let go of their star third baseman in order to free up playing time for their many young infielders. Arenado, for his part, has a complete no-trade provision in that deal and has every incentive to make sure that, should he decide to leave his family and relocate, he does so for a team that can compete on a regular basis and in a city he wants to call home.
The few teams that fit Arenado’s particular requirements, of course, aren’t very interested in signing him. This is either because they already have corner infielders (Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets), they can’t afford it (San Diego Padres), or they have a combination of the two (New York Yankees). The Houston Astros, the only team that appeared to fit all the requirements, were on Arenado’s list until they abruptly were removed.
As a result, both Arenado and Cardinals president John Mozeliak don’t seem to care about each other. You have to admit that Arenado hasn’t exactly been the most accommodating during this process, whether it’s his willingness to sell his front office out upon arrival in spring training or his bait and switch on Mozeliak during negotiations with the Astros in December. You can understand why he might not be thrilled about being dealt just anywhere, and he earned the contractual right to decide his own future. However, this is not the first time Arenado has been in a confrontation with a top boss.
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The second top executive to have a disagreement with Nolan Arenado is John Mozeliak.
Actually, it was precisely this kind of dysfunction that brought Arenado to St. Louis in the first place. In February 2019, the third baseman signed an eight-year, $260 million contract deal with the Colorado Rockies, seemingly committing to the organization for the rest of his life. Given that the Rockies had just won 91 games the previous season and were coming off two consecutive playoff visits, it didn’t seem all that ridiculous at the time.
However, the relationship between Arenado and the club quickly soured. Or, more precisely, Arenado and General Manager Jeff Bridich. During the 2019 season, Colorado had a significant regression, and Arenado started to question what he had committed to as he witnessed teammates and friends, including fellow infielder DJ LeMahieu, leave. And he didn’t hesitate to say it, criticizing Bridich for what he saw as “disrespect.” When Arenado arrived for spring training, he refused to confirm if he had truly asked for a trade, but it was still unclear that winter whether he would ask out.
The Cardinals Have Likely Reached A Decision On A Potential Nolan Arenado Trade.. The Fans Are Pleased To Here The News
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