Third baseman Nolan Arenado. Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Diamondbacks hope to bolster lineup with addition of Nolan Arenado

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Jan 13, 2026 1:12 PM ET

After months of expecting third baseman Nolan Arenado to be shipped off from the St. Louis Cardinals, a deal has finally been struck.

The Diamondbacks get their third baseman

Arenado has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league pitcher Jack Martinez. Arenado waived his full no-trade clause, allowing for the move to Arizona to be complete.

He'll now return to the National League West, the same division he spent the first eight seasons of his career in with the Colorado Rockies. Arenado is owed $42 million over the next two seasons and according to Ken Rosenthal, St. Louis will be paying $31 of that remaining $42 million.

We have completed the following trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks: pic.twitter.com/rxvtxmiyaF
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) January 13, 2026

Last season was a down year for the eight-time All Star

Arenado struggled across the board in 2025, setting career lows in nearly every major offensive category, slashing .237/.289/.377 with 12 homers and 52 RBI. Along with struggling at the plate, Arenado struggled to stay healthy.

He missed 55 games, the most of any season in his career and his first time playing fewer than 110 games. A decrease in both production and availability, combined with a rebuild coming in St. Louis, meant it was time for Arenado to find a new landing spot to play out the last two seasons of his contract.

How much will this impact Arizona's lineup?

According to Baseball Reference, the Diamondbacks ranked No. 5 in Wins Above Average from its third basemen. That was largely in part to the dominant first half of the season from Eugenio Suarez before he was traded.

Outside of Suarez, there was no real production, leaving an open spot for a veteran like Arenado. It's hard to believe that the 13-year veteran will struggle in back-to-back seasons and if he can somewhat return to form, the Diamondbacks are in line to have one of the better lineups in all of baseball.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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