ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals shocked the entire baseball world Friday night with the reported news they'd be trading with the Colorado Rockies for third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Arenado is arguably one of the five to ten best players in all of baseball, and his trade is quite possibly the move of the offseason in all of baseball.
But how much do you know about the Cardinals' reported new addition? Here are five things to know about the newest man protecting the hot corner at Busch Stadium.
1: His defense is all-time good
Every conversation about Arenado begins and ends with his defense. When people say he's up there with some of the greatest of all time, it's not hyperbole. He is.
Arenado has been in the league since 2013. He's won the National League Gold Glove Award at third base every single year since becoming the first ever rookie to win the award at the position in that 2013 season.
Arenado has saved the Rockies 120 runs during his career, according to Fangraphs, and highlighted by 5 On Your Side columnist Dan Buffa in this piece. His UZR/150 (Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 defensive games) was 15.5 in 2020.
Now that's just a fancy stat to illustrate just how dominant he is at picking it at the hot corner compared to every other play in the league. He's all-time elite. We're talking Brooks Robinson and Scott Rolen levels of defensive dominance.
Don't believe the stats? Just check out some of his glovework in action by clicking here.
2: His contract has lots of moving parts
One of the main sticking points on a possible Arenado trade was his large contract. So let's take a look at it.
Arenado is due $199 million over the next six years. That's a hefty contract to take on.
Before the 2019 season, Arenado signed an eight-year, $260 million deal with Colorado. And according to reports on the deal with St. Louis, the Rockies will still be paying him.
According to ESPN and other reports, the Rockies are expected to send $50 million in the deal. That's around a quarter of what's left on Arenado's deal.
ESPN's Jeff Passan is reporting there would also be some tweaks to Arenado's deal once he joins the Cardinals. Arenado would get an additional year on the contract for $15 million guaranteed, an additional opt-out clause and a reinstatement of the no-trade clause he must waive to consummate the trade.
So there are a lot of moving parts here. Bottom line, Arenado is due a lot of money, but the Cardinals aren't going to be paying for all of his remaining deal. And Arenado will still be able to opt out at some point down the line if he chooses.
3: His home/road splits are real, but not necessarily cause for concern
Every great player who has ever played in Colorado is going to have his statistics analyzed through the "Coors Field" lens. The ball flies differently at that altitude no doubt, and the massive outfield provides for more extra-base-hits, but is it something Cardinals fans should be worried about when Arenado calls Busch Stadium home?
For his career, Arenado does have better offensive statistics at Coors Field. Arenado has a career .322 average at Coors Field compared to on the road. He has an OPS of .985 at Coors compared to an OPS of 793 on the road.
(For what it's worth, Arenado's numbers at Busch Stadium are pretty good. He has 5 home runs and an OPS of .848, the second-highest of any road park in his career.)
However, these splits are becoming more and more of an afterthought.
Second baseman DJ LeMahieu recently put some of this thought to rest after leaving the Rockies for the Yankees and becoming a perennial MVP candidate.
There's also the thought that players could see a benefit from getting away from playing half their games at altitude. MLB.com's Mike Petriello breaks that down here.
4: His career at the plate has also been historic so far
As impressive as Arenado's defense is, he's just as effective at the plate, and has piled on the counting stats.
Arenado already has four seasons where he hit at least 30 home runs and drove in 100 RBI. He did it consecutively from 2015-2019.
In 2015, Arenado hit 43 doubles, four triples and 44 home runs for a total of 89 extra-base-hits. That's the most extra-base-hits by a third baseman in a season in baseball history. Chipper Jones had 87 in 1999.
Through eight seasons, Arenado has 235 home runs, 760 RBI and 262 doubles.
5: He's a Cali kid with a drive to be the best
Arenado is still just 29 years old, and is a California native who attended El Toro High School in Lake Forest.
He was drafted by the Rockies in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft, and made his debut four years later.
His nickname he uses during Players' Weekend is "Nado", and MLB Reference also lists "Sandblaster" as another nickname.
Arenado is also a well-documented "gym rat" when it comes to baseball. He works and works until he's the best. And it's paid off.