A few days ago, Nolan Arenado informed the St. Louis Cardinals that he would not be opting out of the remaining five years of his contract, meaning that the veteran third baseman will be in St. Louis through at least the 2027 season.
The Cardinals won the NL Central in 2022, finishing with a 93-69 record.
However, they fell short in the NL Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, who are now two wins shy of their first World Series title since 2008.
But Arenado is excited about the future of the Cardinals, and in a conversation with Katie Woo of The Athletic, he revealed just why he decided to stay in St. Louis.
“St. Louis is kind of a grinder city. And I feel like I’m a grinder player.”
ICYMI: Nolan Arenado is here to stay. On why Arenado elected to forego his final opt-out clause and why he’s convinced the Cardinals will improve, in his own words:https://t.co/4lsMoZiAf3
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) November 1, 2022
Why Arenado Stayed In St. Louis
Cardinals fans who were worried that Arenado might opt out can check that off of their worry list.
Arenado is in St. Louis to stay and seems convinced that the Cardinals are only getting better from here.
There is work to be done in St. Louis this offseason.
They’ll need to address the catcher situation now that Yadier Molina is gone.
They’ll also need to find a bat to replace Albert Pujols, and a frontline starter.
But it seems that Arenado is convinced that the Cardinals will use their resources wisely this offseason and do what they can in order to improve their odds at returning to their former glory.
St. Louis has reached the postseason four straight years, but have not made it to the World Series since 2013.
Arenado appears to be confident though, and is looking forward to what the Cardinals have in store
