ST. LOUIS - Although superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado is second in the National League in RBI, leads the St. Louis Cardinals in home runs and helped pull them from fourth place in the NL Central to clinch a playoff spot – he says there's more he wants to do in St. Louis.
He has a clause in his current contract that would allow him to opt out after this season and become a free agent to sign with any other team he'd like. But he says he'll keep what he's got.
"I'm not opting out," Arenado told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We can put that out there. I will not be opting out. I will be coming back. That was always the plan. I'm absolutely coming back. I feel like this year has been special in a lot of senses. I want to play with all these guys. I’m excited I’ll be back.”
"There are still some things that I would like to do better - and I want to do it here."
Related
The 30-year-old says he'll stay and will play in St. Louis through the 2027 season. He will earn $35 million in 2022, with the Rockies paying about $5.5-million of that salary, per Cot's Contracts.
Arenado was part of a six-player blockbuster trade this offseason. As part of the deal, Colorado agreed to send up to $51 million to St. Louis.
Arenado said he loves his "drive" to Busch Stadium, is comfortable in St. Louis and praised his Cardinals' coaching staff and teammates.
As for the fans, he says the atmosphere has been "better than I expected."
Related
© 2021 KMOX (Audacy). All rights reserved
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Follow KMOX
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram