"One of the big named third basemen available for trade was finally moved. After a couple of seasons of speculation, the St. Louis Cardinals finally pulled the trigger on traded Nolan Arenado, moving him and cash considerations to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Jack Martinez. The Boston Red Sox had been linked to him for the past few years, and it made even more sense with Alex Bregman's departure."
"Take his 2022 season, where he slashed .293/.358/.533 with 30 home runs in 620 plate appearances. His 149 wRC+ that season was the best of his career, while also posting a 7.2 fWAR, which, you guessed it, was also a career-best. Arenado's bat began to decline from there, posting a 107 wRC+ in 2023 and a 103 wRC+ in 2024. For the first time since 2013 (or 2020 if we're counting the pandemic year), Arenado posted a sub-100 wRC+ in 2025, finishing with a 84 wRC+ and a 0.9 fWAR in 436 plate appearances."
"In his prime, Arenado led the National League in home runs on three separate occasions, all with the Rockies. In 2015, he hit 42, followed by 41 in 2016. In 2018, Arenado hit 38 home runs, then another 41 in 2019, granted he didn't lead the NL that season. While most of his best years with the bat came with the Rockies, he still had some good seasons with the Cardinals after they traded for him."
The St. Louis Cardinals traded Nolan Arenado and cash considerations to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Jack Martinez. The Boston Red Sox had been linked to Arenado previously, and the move followed Alex Bregman's departure. From his 2013 debut through 2022 Arenado slashed .289/.346/.535 with 299 home runs in 5,831 plate appearances between the Colorado Rockies and Cardinals. He led the National League in home runs three times with the Rockies and produced multiple 40-home-run seasons. His 2022 line (.293/.358/.533) included 30 homers, a 149 wRC+, and 7.2 fWAR. Offensive production declined afterward, with wRC+ figures of 107 (2023), 103 (2024), and 84 (2025) and a 0.9 fWAR in 436 plate appearances. Arenado has 51.6 fWAR and 57.8 bWAR across 1,787 games, remains an elite defender, and is a near-certain Hall of Famer at age 34.
Read at BlueJaysNation
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