Nolan Arenado Reportedly to Opt in to Rest of Cardinals Contract

Coming off an MVP-caliber season, Nolan Arenado is staying with the St. Louis Cardinals after he opted into his deal with the club.

Per The Athletic's Katie Woo, Arenado has informed the Cardinals he will play out the five years and $144 million remaining on his contract rather than test the free-agent market.

This move was expected, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported in September that Arenado intended to opt in. But it wouldn't have been a surprise if the seven-time All-Star elected to test the market given how much leverage he would have this winter.

Arenado and his Cardinals teammate Paul Goldschmidt were front-runners for the National League MVP award throughout the 2022 season.

Arenado was second in the NL in FanGraphs wins above replacement (7.3) thanks to his combination of offensive value and sure-handed work at the hot corner.

The 31-year-old could be on his way to winning a 10th consecutive Gold Glove award. He was named one of three finalists at third base, along with Ke'Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies, last week.

The Cardinals acquired Arenado in a sweetheart deal with the Rockies in February 2021. The Rockies also gave St. Louis $51 million in the trade.

As part of the deal, the Cardinals added an additional year to the back of Arenado's contract and gave him opt-outs after 2021 and 2022.

Things worked out well for the Cardinals by doing so. Arenado was instrumental in their winning the National League Central for the first time since 2019.

Despite the possibility of securing another lucrative contract if he became a free agent, Arenado will still be one of the highest-paid players in MLB.

Per Spotrac, Arenado's $32.5 million average annual salary is tied with Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager for ninth among all players.

There's also the risk of teams being wary about paying a player at his age big money. Arenado will turn 32 in April. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, but things can change quickly for athletes over the age of 30.

The Cardinals seem to have a great thing going, even with Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols retiring after the season, but Arenado and Goldschmidt proved in 2022 they are the driving forces for the organization.

Arenado's opt-in means the Cardinals will have both of their superstars under contract together through the 2024 season, after which Goldschmidt can become a free agent.