ST. LOUIS — It may be a little while until we get a glimpse of Nolan Arenado in a Cardinals jersey, but that hasn't stopped St. Louis from embracing their new superstar.
But it turns out, Arenado has had a strong affinity for St. Louis from afar as a member of the Colorado Rockies.
The new St. Louis star connected with 5 On Your Side sports director Frank Cusumano over video call to talk about the trade, his connections with St. Louis and what he wants fans to know about his game.
Frank's interview with Arenado will air on the Sunday, Feb. 7 edition of Sports Plus at 10:30 on 5 On Your Side.
"I've always loved St. Louis. I've always admired them from afar. I've always respected them, I love their unis. Obviously Matt Holliday is good friend of mine and we'd just talk about the team," Arenado said. "So within the last year once they got Goldschmidt, you see Flaherty on the mound and Wainwright and Yadi... Just a good team. They're a good team. And I thought I'd could fit in there well."
Speaking of Matt Holliday, the former Cardinal played a pretty good pitch man for St. Louis once the Cardinals became a legitimate trade partner.
"Once I told him (Holliday) it was getting close and serious he really helped guide me and helped me out and I really appreciate him," Arenado said.
Another former Cardinal that at least fans like to connect to Arenado, is Scott Rolen. The former St. Louis great has a lot of comparables to the newest Cardinal, but do the two know each other?
"I don't know him on a personal level. But I got to meet him in 2019 when he got his red coat into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. It was against us that series. So I got to meet him, took a picture with him and I've watched a lot of video on him. He was such a great player. He's such a big dude, and he moved so well. It's rare you see guys move that well and be that tall and that big," Arenado said. "He was a great player. If I'm half of what he was for St. Louis, I think the St. Louis Cardinals would be pretty happy about it. I would love to step into these shoes like he did and help this team win as much as I can."
The defensive comparisons to Rolen are hard to ignore. Arenado has won the National League Gold Glove at third base every year he's been in the big leagues, and knows this Cardinals infield could be elite when it comes to defense.
"Very special. We've got a great group obviously," Arenado said. "I think we'll have a very good defense that our pitchers will love getting us ground balls."
While Arenado has long admired the Cardinals organization, what does he know about the actual St. Louis area?
"I don't know a whole lot. I love going there. I've spent days off there. We've gone to the mall and eaten at some of the top places," Arenado said. "I like how low key it is and I like that they care about baseball. Baseball's a big thing in that town and it's going to be really exciting."
But most of all, the new St. Louis superstar wants fans to know he's just as excited as they are to get going as a Cardinal.
"I just want to tell them how excited I am to play for them. Hopefully I give them something to smile about," Arenado said. "At the end of the day I'm here to win, and I just want to do my best to help this team win."
You can see more from Frank's interview with Arenado on Sports Plus Sunday night at 10:30 on 5 On Your Side.