Nolan Arenado 'Thrilled' About Trade to Cardinals: 'They Care About Winning'

Nolan Arenado didn't hide his excitement in Tuesday's introductory press conference with the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Once I heard that [the trade] was done, I was thrilled," the third baseman told reporters.

Arenado joined St. Louis in a trade with the Colorado Rockies that was announced Monday. Colorado received five players, while the Cardinals got a player who has five All-Star selections and eight Gold Glove awards.

While he has plenty of individual accolades, the 29-year-old noted his interest in team success.

"As a kid, you dream of winning a World Series, and that's still the dream now," he said. "To join this organization, they care about winning and about getting things done, and that's really exciting."

The Rockies have made the playoffs twice since Arenado broke into the majors in 2013, but his postseason career consists of just five games. The franchise has never won the World Series and only reached the final round once in its history.

The Cardinals have had much more success overall, including four pennants and two World Series titles since 2004. The squad reached the NLCS in 2019 before being eliminated in the Wild Card Round in 2020.

After the addition of Arenado, St. Louis is now 20-1 to win the title in 2021, according to DraftKings.

Meanwhile, the talented player has an opportunity to opt out after this season and hit free agency, but he doesn't intend to.

"I plan on sticking around," he said Tuesday.

Though this was also the idea when he signed the eight-year, $260 million extension with the Rockies, things didn't go according to plan.

"I signed there with the intent to be there for the rest of my career, but it wasn't meant to be," Arenado added. "I'm not the first contract to get moved after a couple years. It happens a lot in this game."

He can stay under contract with the Cardinals through the 2027 season, giving him plenty of chances to bring home his first title.

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