There is more to Nolan Arenado’s decision to stay than you might know. Follow along to see the major reason why.
Everything You Need To Know About Nolan Arenado’s Decision To Stay
You can all breathe a sigh of relief, as Nolan Arenado decided he wanted to stick around with the St. Louis Cardinals. Our offseason is off to a great start, and it is only getting started.
There is a lot more to the decision to stay than meets the eye. This has nothing to do with money, and maybe nothing to do with comfort in St. Louis, it is about something bigger. Follow along to see why his decision to stay means so much, and what you should know about his contract.
Welcome Back, Nolan
Nolan Arenado informed the St. Louis Cardinals he planned to opt into his contract, which was originally signed with the Colorado Rockies. Arenado will be making $144 over his remaining five years in the best city to play baseball.
After a dominant 2022 season where he is a shoe-end to be a top-three vote-getter for the NL MVP award, Arenado would have been a hot commodity on the free agent market. His time in Colorado featured a lot of individual success but not a lot of team success. He finally got a taste of that, but after an unexpected October, his taste was soured. Thankfully, Arenado is ready to do it all over again.
In September, the entire planet expected Arenado to stick around, but after an abysmal October for the Redbirds, nobody knew what to expect. A lot goes into your mind when you are watching the playoffs on your couch. Knowing Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina were walking away probably did not help either.
Winning his 10th straight Gold Glove and having a WAR of 7.3, Arenado could have made a lot more elsewhere. Granted, this is still one of the biggest contracts in baseball, but he would have made more regardless.
So, why did the 31-year-old decide to stick around?
Good News in the Lou
There is one direction the St. Louis Cardinals are going, and that is up. I expected Arenado to potentially opt out to put pressure on John Mozeliak and company, but that was not needed. If you are a Cardinals fan, you should be very pleased.
Arenado wants to win and he believes he has the best shot of doing so in St. Louis. He made it well known he wanted to be sure of improvement this winter before he rejoined the team. The pressure Arenado put on Mo not only confirms we will remain competitive, but there will be a great roster built around him.
That right there is why Arenado opted into the deal, and just like that, the division is ours for years to come. We all know Mo is sometimes scared top open up the wallet, but when arguably his best player is forcing him to, that is a great sign for Cardinals fans.
