Well, that escalated quickly.
Early on Friday morning, MLB insiders Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman and others reported that the Cardinals had begun talks with the Rockies regarding a potential deal for superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado.
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But while these same talks haven't resulted in any deals getting done in past instances, these discussions progressed quite rapidly. On Friday night, Rosenthal reported that the two sides had come to an agreement, pending approval.
ESPN reported that the Rockies will also be getting multiple players in the deal. MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported that pitcher Austin Gomber is expected to be one of those players.
The Rockies sending the Cardinals a good amount of money isn't necessarily surprising, considering that Arenado and the Rockies agreed to a massive eight-year, $260 million deal in 2019. That deal included an opt out and a no-trade clause, both of which will be retained by Arenado, per Rosenthal.
In Arenado, the Cardinals are adding a power bat to their order with 40-home run potential, not to mention one of the sharpest defenders we've seen at the hot corner in recent years.
Though Arenado's shortened 2020 campaign was arguably the worst season he's posted, the three years prior saw averages of 39 home runs, 119 RBI and a slash line of .307/.375/.577 with Gold Glove defense.
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