Stacy Revere/Getty Images
KEY POINTS
- Nolan Arenado will not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract with the Cardinals, a report claims
- He is said to have told the team that he is committed to them long-term
- The team has not made an official announcement regarding Arenado’s decision
All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado is staying with the St. Louis Cardinals, according to a report.
The nine-time Golden Glove award winner informed the Cardinals that he would not be opting out of his contract to become a free agent, meaning he will remain in St. Louis through the 2027 MLB season, an unnamed source told MLB.com.
Arenado told the team that he is committed to them long-term, according to the insider.
The Cardinals have not made an official announcement regarding Arenado’s decision. International Business Times could not independently verify the information.
The 31-year-old player was under the clock to decide whether or not he would opt out of the remaining five years and $144 million on his contract, which takes him through the 2027 season.
Arenado originally signed an eight-year, $260 million deal with the Colorado Rockies in 2019 before he was sent to the NL Central champions in February 2021. He is set to make $35 million in base salary next MLB season, NBC Sports reported.
The report puts the lid on the speculation surrounding the seven-time All-Star’s future.
Earlier this week, Cardinals president John Mozeliak revealed that he flew to Southern California to meet with the four-time Silver Slugger award winner and that he was optimistic that things would be settled.
“He’s just trying to use his time and sort through some things,” Mozeliak said of Arenado Wednesday, according to MLB.com. “He asked questions of how we’re thinking about the club, what we’re thinking about in the future and topics like, ‘How are we going to deploy our resources?’ It was a very positive conversation.”
Longtime ace Adam Wainwright also announced this week that Arenado would be returning for at least one more season with the Cardinals.
“Goldy and I have been on him and hopefully that works out,” Wainwright said, referring to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. “I think it will. Nolan wants to be here.”
This season, Arenado hit .293 with 30 homers and 103 RBIs. He also played well defensively — a reason why he was a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, a citation that he has won for the last nine MLB seasons.
With Arenado passing up a potentially bigger contract with another team, he returns to a team that is set to lose Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.
The St. Louis Cardinals were swept by the NL champion Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card round at Busch Stadium on Oct. 8.
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
