Why Nolan Arenado is staying in St. Louis: ‘I fit in that city and I fit on this team’

ST. LOUIS — Even before he was traded, Nolan Arenado always wanted to be a Cardinal. Now, after two stellar seasons in St. Louis, he’s pledged to stay for the long haul.

In a decision that was expected but is now official nonetheless, Arenado informed president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and the Cardinals over the weekend that he intended to forego his second and final opt-out clause, choosing to remain with St. Louis through the 2027 season. He did not restructure his contract, which means he will be paid $144 million over the next five seasons until he is eligible for free agency at age 37. The Rockies will pay more than $31.5 million of that salary through 2026, including $16 million in 2023, as Colorado agreed to pay up to $51 million when they traded Arenado prior to the 2021 season.

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Largely regarded as one of the game’s most elite players, Arenado’s compiled two straight 30-plus homer and 100-plus RBI seasons, back-to-back All-Star selections and is a finalist for his fifth Silver Slugger award. Ensuring Arenado’s return was the first of many boxes Mozeliak was expected to check off this offseason. In his end-of-year news conference last Wednesday, Mozeliak declared a payroll increase while describing multiple roster spots he’d look to improve over the winter, including catching depth and more pitching options. However, it was clear throughout Mozeliak’s spiel that Arenado was offseason priority No 1. The longtime front office executive said he flew to Southern California — where Arenado resides in the offseason — earlier in the month and conversed over dinner, and both parties departed the evening feeling optimistic Arenado would remain with the team.

Less than a week later, the Cardinals had their answer.

3B Nolan Arenado has chosen to remain with the #STLCards through the 2027 season and not exercise his opt out clause.

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) October 30, 2022

Arenado, a seven-time All-Star who is looking to wrap up his 10th consecutive Gold Glove award when the winners are announced Tuesday, could’ve tested free agency and looked to have landed a much larger payday, given how thin the third base free-agency class will be. He could have elected to opt out and look for an opportunity closer to California. He also could’ve decided to opt out of his current contract with St. Louis with a verbal agreement to return while renegotiating a larger salary with the front office.

Instead, Arenado chose to stay in St. Louis under the original terms of his deal and pledged a commitment to the organization for the next five years. In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Arenado explained how he was convinced to stay, how a conversation over dinner with Mozeliak helped cement his decision, why he’s optimistic about the future of the team and why he didn’t feel the need to pursue a larger contract or a different opportunity.

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(Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity).

You have long expressed how much you want to be in St. Louis and how much you love playing for the Cardinals. What ultimately led to your decision to stay?

I think it was a mixture of things. I’ve grown to love the organization, I love my teammates, coaches, trainers. I feel like I fit really well with this team and this organization. My family loves it. And the city of St. Louis, like I said, I just feel like I fit well there. I think they appreciate me and I just feel like I belong there and I love playing there.

You have been a Cardinal for two years now. Throughout your first year, you expressed how it can be difficult to adjust to a new organization. Do you feel like your second year helped solidify your desire to be with the Cardinals?

Yeah, absolutely. I had a lot of motivation going into the second year. I had a lot going into the first year but there was a lot of unknown with the team, me and just getting comfortable. So the second year, I just had this huge motivation to go out there and play better than I did, and try to help this team win the best I could. My whole offseason, literally my whole offseason, was dedicated to that second season. I started training, and getting after it fairly early, earlier than I ever have in an offseason. There was a lot of work put into it, but I couldn’t be happier with the results, obviously, besides the way the playoffs went.

You didn’t think much about this decision during the season, instead preferring to wait until the offseason. Why was that?

It was just so simple about what we were chasing (as a team). I was playing well, our team was playing well, and I didn’t want to distract from any of that. I just wanted to make sure I kept my focus on what was more important, and that was helping the team win as many games as I could.

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When John Mozeliak spoke at his end-of-year news conference last week, he mentioned he had flown out to Southern California and met with you in person to touch base about the future direction of the organization and where you stood regarding your decision. What was discussed in that conversation, and why was it important to have?

There were a lot of things discussed in that conversation, but a lot of it was based on the team, where my heart was at, where my mind was at. I asked questions about the group, how he thought we were going to be and where we’re headed. And I feel like we’re headed in the right spot. The one thing with Mo that I appreciate is he was just being real honest with me. That was always great and I appreciated that. I wanted to be honest with him and with where I’m at and how I feel.

It was just a really good conversation shared back and forth. We had a good dinner and I think we left it on a good note. It felt good to have that conversation one on one. You know, talking on the phone, it’s not the same as meeting with someone one on one, and Mo understands that. Seeing his reaction, and the way I was trying to explain things to him sounded better in person than it would have on the phone.

What were some of those honest conversations from your outlook? What were some of the honest points you felt you needed to share from your side?

I wanted to know where the team is headed. Are we going to get better? Basically, most of the questions were about where our team was headed. I shared with (Mozeliak) what I feel like I need to get better at and asked what they want me to do. He shared a lot of great things, things that he feels like we can get better at. He wants us to get better and they have the right resources to do it. So hopefully that’s where we’re headed.

Speaking of resources, Mo mentioned multiple times there will be a definite increase in team payroll come 2023. The Cardinals had a very successful year at the gate, and of course, when you have Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols playing in their final season, that also generates a significant amount of revenue. Was the increase in payroll mentioned during your conversations, and if so, did it help sway your choice to stay?

Yes, he shared that payroll is going up. He didn’t share what exactly they were going to do, but he did say we’re gonna get better, and that’s really all I needed to hear. The Cardinals and Mo, that’s all a lot bigger than who I am as a player and as a person. Who’s come through this organization, the people, the players, the fans, it’s a lot bigger than who I am. So, I think when he says we’re going to be better, you have to trust him because the writing’s on the wall with the Cardinals. We’re always a pretty darn good team.

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From a personal perspective, the third base market is projected to be relatively thin this offseason in terms of free agency. You did not restructure the remainder of your contract, meaning you will earn $144 million over your next five seasons. Theoretically speaking, you could have chosen to test the open waters and perhaps land a better deal, but you chose not to. Why was that?

It’s a mixture of things. I’ve said before, for me to get traded to St. Louis, it was extremely complicated. To be quite frank, it was really a pain in the butt. Once I got here, I didn’t feel like I wanted to leave. I wanted to be here. This is an organization that I had always admired from afar.

I just wanted to hold up my end of the bargain and stay. It didn’t feel right, me leaving after two years after all the effort to get me here. It took me a whole year to get comfortable and once I did, I feel like I played well. I just want to try to continue to play well and be as comfortable as I can. Baseball is already an extremely uncomfortable game, you never really feel comfortable because it’s so hard, but I didn’t want to go that route again.

Many times this decision is out of a player’s control, but if you had a say, would you like to retire as a Cardinal?

I think so. We’ll see where I’m at. I mean, I do love St. Louis. I would love to finish my career there. After my fifth year, if I’m still feeling pretty good, it would be cool to either finish in St. Louis, or if there was an opportunity, you know, it would be great to come home. I would like to play in front of my family at some point in time in my career, if that’s ever on the table. I think at some point in my life, I would like to come home. Now, hopefully that’s towards the end.

But you know I told Mo, I really would like to earn a red jacket. I need to be here for a while to do to accomplish that. Watching Albert and Yadi, watching Matt Holliday’s retirement, you see Scott Rolen, Willie McGee and all these guys, it’s a pretty cool fraternity with amazing players that played this game really. There’s another incentive, not only winning, but I would like to earn one of those one day, too. That’d be pretty cool.

Is there anything you want fans to know about you or your decision, or why you felt it was so important to stay with the Cardinals?

 I just feel like they’ve treated me well. And I feel like they always have my back. I appreciate them showing out for us. It’s always a fun environment playing in St. Louis, and I really do enjoy that division.

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St. Louis is kind of a grinder city. And I feel like I’m a grinder player. I feel like I fit in that city and I fit on this team. The way (the season) ended didn’t sit well with me and I have a lot of motivation to perform better, play better and hopefully bring them a championship one day.

(Photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)