Cardinals trade Arenado to D-Backs
The St. Louis Cardinals traded 10-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado and cash considerations to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-hander Jack Martinez, the teams announced Tuesday.
"We are grateful for Nolan's five years as a Cardinal, on and off the field - for his drive, his competitiveness, and for all of the memories he gave us," Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said in a statement.
"As we continue to move forward, we are pleased to add another intriguing pitching prospect to our organization and excited for the opportunity this move creates for a number of our players to step up and further establish themselves at the big-league level."
The Cardinals are paying $31 million of the $42 million remaining on the final two years of Arenado's contract, reports The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
The present-day impact for the Cardinals will actually be less than $31 million, per source, as St. Louis will pay out the $6 million in deferred money owed to Arenado, which isn’t payable until 2040-2041.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 13, 2026
St. Louis tried to deal the eight-time All-Star before the 2025 campaign, but Arenado exercised his no-trade clause to nix a move to the Houston Astros in December 2024. However, he waived the clause to facilitate the deal with Arizona.
The D-Backs have been hunting for a starting third baseman since trading Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners at last season's deadline. They found a match with the Cardinals, who have been unloading veterans in Bloom's first winter as the president of baseball operations.
Bloom also traded starter Sonny Gray and first baseman Willson Contreras before dealing Arenado. The Cardinals ate $59 million in salary to move the three players.
Arenado adds defensive prowess to a D-Backs lineup that already employs impressive youngsters Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo, as well as three-time All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.
D-Backs' projected 2026 lineup
| ORDER | POS. | PLAYER | BATS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SS | Geraldo Perdomo | S |
| 2 | 2B | Ketel Marte | S |
| 3 | RF | Corbin Carroll | L |
| 4 | C | Gabriel Moreno | R |
| 5 | 1B | Pavin Smith | L |
| 6 | 3B | Nolan Arenado | R |
| 7 | DH | Adrian Del Castillo | L |
| 8 | LF | Blaze Alexander | R |
| 9 | CF | Alek Thomas | L |
While Arenado continues to provide elite defense at third base, his offense has declined sharply over the past two seasons, with a career-low .666 OPS in 2025.
Martinez, whom the Cardinals acquired in the deal, was an eighth-round pick in the 2025 draft. The 22-year-old Texan posted a 5.47 ERA and 12.8 K/9 in 15 starts for Arizona State last year.