Third baseman Nolan Arenado is starting a new chapter in his baseball career, as the St. Louis Cardinals finally sent him elsewhere.
But before he completely settles in with his new team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the future Baseball Hall of Famer shared a heartfelt farewell message to the Cards, who had him on their roster for five seasons.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the 35-year-old Arenado thanked everyone who had been part of his life during his stint with the Cardinals, including St. Louis outfielder Lars Nootbaar, who got a hilarious shoutout from the 10-time Gold Glove winner.
Nolan Arenado has posted a long, heart-felt thank you to St. Louis on Instagram, including a reference to Lars Nootbaar, “my son”: pic.twitter.com/cxvuKv87HE
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) January 14, 2026
Arenado was clearly just messing with Nootbar, who he will miss, as he begins to adjust to life as a Diamondback.
By trading for Arenado, the Diamondbacks are hoping to benefit from a possible career revival by one of this generation’s best players. After his last All-Star campaign in 2023, Arenado has hit just .257/.310/.387 with 28 home runs and 124 RBIs with a subpar 96 OPS+ across 259 games and 1,071 plate appearances.
Arizona ranked fifth in the big leagues in 2025 with a 118 wRC+ from their third basemen, but Eugenio Suarez, who was traded to the Seattle Mariners midseason, did most of the heavy lifting in that area.
