*This content was translated by AI.
A sudden 1:1 trade was made. Nolan Arenado (35), a third baseman who won 10 gold gloves and is likely to enter the Hall of Fame, was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Instead of letting Arenado go, the St. Louis Cardinals held pitcher prospect Jack Martinez (23) in their arms.
St. Louis and Arizona in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially announced on the 14th (Korea time) that they have agreed to trade Arenado for right-hander Martinez.
What attracts attention is the detailed conditions of the trade. St. Louis will compensate for some of Arenado's annual salary. Arenado's remaining annual salary is $42 million (about KRW 62.1 billion). St. Louis' annual salary is 31 million dollars (about 45.7 billion won). As a result, it can be interpreted that St. Louis, who has wanted to clean up Arenado in the midst of the rebuilding trend, sent him, taking the burden of preserving some of the amount. Of the remaining $11 million, Arizona plans to pay Arenado $5 million this year and $6 million next year, respectively.
Arenado was also one of the trade targets last season. Last year, St. Louis pushed for a trade to send Arenado to the Houston Astros, but it did not happen. This is because Arenado invoked the right to reject the trade. However, this time, he agreed to transfer and changed his uniform without using his trade veto.
Arenado is a living legend in the Major League who won the Gold Glove for 10 consecutive seasons from his debut season, the 2013 season to the 2022 season. The main position is third baseman. It is also called the third baseman's textbook. Based on the overwhelming pitching ability and strong throwing ability, he jumped to the top third baseman in the big league. It is also durable. He boasts a steel body enough to play 140-150 games every season.
Arenado boasted overwhelming power to win the third inning of the National League's home run king and the second inning of the RBI king during his time with the Colorado Rockies. Based on this strong performance, Arenado signed an eight-year, $260 million contract with Colorado prior to the 2019 season. Arenado, who was traded to St. Louis after signing the contract, will move the nest through a trade again this time.
Arenado is an eight-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove, 6-time Platinum Glove and 5-time Silver Slugger veteran. However, in the 2025 season, he played in 107 games with a batting average of 0.237, an on-base percentage of 0.289, and a slugging percentage of 0.377. I had a hard time hurting my back and hands. Nevertheless, he is still considered the league's top third baseman.
In 13 major league seasons, he has played in 1,787 games with a batting average of 0.282 (1921 hits in 6807) with 353 home runs, 1184 RBIs, 577 walks, 43-hit ball, 1094 strikeouts, 31 steals (23 failed), 0.338 on-base percentage, 0.507 slugging percentage and 0.845 OPS. He is likely to surpass 2,000 hits in his career this season. He also hit the 350-homer mark as a big-hitting third baseman.
Martinez, who will wear a St. Louis uniform this time, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Rookie Draft. In college, he had excellent ball power, with more than 10 strikeouts per 9 innings. He, who has not yet made the big league stage, is expected to start on the minor league stage in the 2026 season and wait for a call-up opportunity in the future.
"As a member of St. Louis, we would like to express our gratitude to Arenado for her passion, competitiveness, and all the memories she has left us on and off the field for five years," Chime Bloom, president of St. Louis' baseball operations division, said in a statement.
Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said about recruiting Arenado, "Arenado is a good resource for our team," adding, "I like the way he plays." He also highly appreciates his influence on the team even if he does not play in the game. The priority was to strengthen his defense, and he should be able to reliably stabilize his infield defense. "Improving defense will directly lead to strengthening the mound," he said.
He also said, "I sent a few key fielders at the end of the trade deadline last season. At this point, it is true that he is focusing on the pitcher's side, but at the same time, it was also important to reinforce the fielders," he said of Arenado, adding, "The last 2025 season would not have been what he wanted. He is fully capable of rebounding. He is a player who will do his best for the team. Also, our home stadium is a batter-friendly stadium. I expect him to contribute to the team's attack stably," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
