Nolan Arenado feeds off Cardinals fans’ energy in quest to regain St. Louis’ heart Can Nolan Arenado flip the script on what looked like a muted ending to his Cardinal career? It was a long offseason for the St. Louis Cardinals, its fanbase, and future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado For many months, it felt as though we’d be watching him play in another city come Opening Day. Instead, Arenado “I wasn’t expecting the curtain call,” Arenado said after the Cardinals’ 5-3 win Thursday over the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day.
“I’m actually surprised I got it. I don’t think I got one last year.” That curtain call Arenado was referring to came after a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the 8th inning to give the Cardinals an extra cushion for Ryan Helsley. Arenado recorded his second-best bat speed (75.5 MPH) on a home run ball since the beginning of the 2024 season, and it came off of Twins reliever Griffin Jax, who was arguably the best bullpen arm in all of baseball last season. At least on social media, there was acceptance,
and probably fair to say favor, shown toward the end of the Arenado era in St. Louis this winter from Cardinals fans. The desire for this organization to turn the page and enter into a new era of baseball is real, and that seemed to mean the end of Arenado’s time with the Cardinals as well.
When trades were blocked or impasses were reached, fans got frustrated with the front office, ownership, and even Arenado himself, which likely played into Arenado being unsure of what the reception toward him would be like. Remember, Arenado did not outright request a trade from St. Louis.
He was open to a deal and explored opportunities with certain teams, but he was not dying to get out of town. The Cardinals approached Arenado about a trade, and if it worked for both sides, he would have been moved. Instead, Arenado suited up for the Cardinals, and it is safe to say that home run meant a ton to Arenado as he digs back in with the club for the time being. “I usually don’t, but today I did, and the way they cheered for me, it meant a lot to me and it got me motivated, and I was just fortunate to give them something to cheer about again,” Arenado said. “Usually, they don’t do curtain calls if you hit one homer, but it was a big homer.” donned the birds on the bat for a fifth consecutive season opener and did so not knowing what the crowd’s reaction would be like toward him.
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