5 notable transactions the Cardinals have made in February over the years

Nolan Arenado: February 1, 2021 - Trade with Rockies

After having a list full of minor league deals or seemingly small bullpen transactions, the Cardinals' biggest February splash came in the form of a blockbuster deal for disgruntled Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado. Regardless of the current situation surrounding Arenado's future in St. Louis, the trade was and still is seen as a win for the Cardinals, as they gave up minimal assets and actually received cash considerations as well.

Even with the team's overall lack of postseason success during the Nolan Arenado era, his career in St. Louis cemented his place in baseball history as one of the most productive all-around third basemen in the Major Leagues. His debut season with the Cardinals was underwhelming in terms of his batting average, but he showed his ability to hit for power outside of the hitter-friendly Coors Field, as he hit 34 homers and knocked in a team-leading 105 RBIs from the middle of the order. Including Paul Goldschmidt and up-and-coming outfielder Tyler O'Neill, the Cardinals' offense looked like a force for the foreseeable future.

The 2022 season was one of the best of his career, as Arenado tallied a career-high 7.7 bWAR and his second top-3 finish in the NL MVP voting, seeing fellow corner infield mate Goldschmidt take home the award. Those performances led the Cardinals to an NL Central title, but they were unable to go on an extended playoff run thanks to a two-game sweep in the Wild Card round.

Expectations were high going into 2023, but Arenado saw a decline in his defense, as he failed to win the Gold Glove Award for the first time in his career and hit under 30 homers for only the third time and first since his second season in the majors. Those struggles coincided with the Cardinals limping to their first losing season since 2007, but Arenado took much of the blame for the team's underwhelming performance and promised a comeback in 2024. However, the problems continued for the 33-year-old superstar, as his average, power, and run-producing numbers were all the lowest since his first two major league seasons.

The team's struggles over the past two years along with the desire to shed payroll have made Arenado an expendable piece. After going into the offseason with the expectations that the third baseman would be shipped out relatively quickly, the Cardinals report to Spring Training with him awkwardly on the roster. With Alex Bregman signing with the Red Sox, the most commonly mentioned suitor for Arenado's services was taken off the board unless Bregman makes the shift to second base as now reported. No matter how the saga ends, Arenado had an up-and-down career with the Cardinals after coming over with championship expectations.

With February and Spring Training being a time when teams mostly cut or reassign players as they look towards the regular season, it is not completely uncommon for late offseason signings to play a role for their new teams. The St. Louis Cardinals have seen some success in these seemingly mediocre transactions, so it would not be surprising for a bullpen signing from this year to become a bigger piece than expected this season.