On January 13th, 2026, the St. Louis Cardinals dealt All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado and cash considerations to the Arizona Diamondbacks for young prospect Jack Martinez and a bit more flexibility financially and roster-wise.

Martinez, 22, was an eighth-round pick in this past year’s MLB draft out of Arizona State University. The raw numbers don’t jump off the page for the newest Cardinal prospect. His final season in college saw an ERA of 5.47, and his career ERA through school was 5.32. The right-hander stands at 6’4, 215lbs, and is projected to fill out a bit more with time, potentially adding some velocity.

The most intriguing part of Martinez’s game is strike three. From 2023 to 2025, the lowest K/9 the right-hander held was 10.0. Martinez has the potential to be a big-time backend arm for the Cardinals in the future. But why did St. Louis move such a prolific player for an eighth-round draft pick?

At this point in his career, Nolan Arenado is not an MVP candidate, he’s not an All-Star, and he may not even be a Gold Glove candidate. Father Time has had his way with the likes of the legendary third baseman. Arenado continues to spiral downwards in terms of bat speed and general output. Over the past two seasons, his OPS+ has finished below league average, and there are no clear signs of a bounce-back season other than hope and prayers.

This trade is a St. Louis salary dump. Yes, the Cardinals had to send $31 million along with Arenado to push the trade across. That doesn’t mean they aren’t saving money. The small amount that’s left over will be paid by the Diamondbacks and Rockies in tandem until the end of Arenado’s deal. The Cardinals also gain an exciting amount of roster flexibility. Think of this deal like trading Arenado at-bats from Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, Cesar Prieto, and JJ Wetherholt. If Arenado were still rostered, another 500 plate appearances would be gone with the wind. Now, St. Louis can divvy them out as they see fit.

Freshly introduced President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom did what needed to be done. It may be a tough pill to swallow, but this trade had to happen.