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Nolan Arenado Sends Strong Sonny Gray Message After Complete Game on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin M. Groe | Last updated Jun 28, 2025 12:00 AM ET

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is in his thirteenth major-league season after spending his first eight full campaigns with the Colorado Rockies. Originally selected by Colorado in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft, he was traded to St. Louis in February 2021 and immediately made an impact, helping the Cardinals reach the postseason in both 2021 and 2022.

Arenado is now in the sixth year of the eight-year, $260 million extension he signed with the Rockies in February 2019.

Now entering the later stages of his career and with the Cardinals transitioning toward a younger core while trimming payroll this offseason, Arenado has surfaced in trade rumors—though sitting seven games above .500 may convince the front office they need his veteran bat for a postseason push.

In Friday’s matchup against the Cleveland Guardians, veteran Sonny Gray spun an 89-pitch shutout, striking out eleven and allowing just one hit.

Nolan Arenado had strong words to describe Gray’s performance, “That was as good a performance I’ve ever played defense behind in my career. It felt like we were running out there and then running back in again.”

#STLCards star 3B Nolan Arenado on Sonny Gray’s dominance: “That was as a good a performance I've ever played defense behind in my career. It felt like we were running out there and then running back in again.”
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) June 28, 2025

Over thirteen major-league seasons, Arenado has compiled a Hall of Fame-worthy resume. He is an eight-time All-Star, ten-time Gold Glove Award winner and five-time Silver Slugger, pairing defensive brilliance with offensive production.

Arenado has accumulated 351 home runs, 1,171 RBIs and owns a lifetime .850 OPS—numbers that rank him among the elite third basemen of his generation.

As the Cardinals lean into youth, Arenado’s veteran leadership and defensive excellence remain absolutely vital in the postseason hunt.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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