After years of tormenting the Diamondbacks, Arenado joins forces

PHOENIX – For eight years, Nolan Arenado routinely turned Chase Field into his personal playground as a member of the Colorado Rockies. Now, it’s his home ballpark. 

This past offseason, Arenado had an important decision to make about the next chapter of his already illustrious career. The future Hall of Famer was coming off his fifth season with the St. Louis Cardinals, and the team he knew was getting blown up. St. Louis had been shedding money from its books all winter long by shipping Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras off to Boston, while rumors picked up steam for a trade of Brendan Donovan. It felt like a foregone conclusion that Arenado would be the next to go, but there was a catch – he possessed a full no-trade clause. 

In January, Arenado waived that clause and agreed to be moved to a team he knew well, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who face the Detroit Tigers Monday night in their home-opener at Chase Field. 

“Arizona was one of the first teams to show interest in me, and I love the way they play the game,” Arenado said in an interview shortly after the trade was announced. “It’s close to home for me. I’m from Orange County so it’s easy. I got family in Arizona, and I really like this team … it was kind of a no-brainer.”

Before joining the Cardinals, Arenado had been a staple of the NL West. Beginning with his debut season for the Rockies in 2013, Arenado became the first National League player to win 10 Gold Glove awards in each of his first 10 seasons. At the plate, he’s won five Silver Sluggers and boasts a career .280 batting average at Chase Field, the third highest mark of any ballpark he’s played 50 or more games in. The two stadiums in front of Chase? San Diego’s Petco Park and Colorado’s Coors Field – all places he’ll get reacquainted with now that he’s back in the division. 

Suiting up for the Rockies for nearly a decade also meant reporting to Salt River Fields for spring training action every season. After all the years spent on the Colorado side of the shared complex, Arenado would experience deja vu this spring on the Diamondbacks’ side. 

“I know this area really well because of the past, and the whole facility is just really nice. It feels good to be back,” Arenado said of his return to the old stomping grounds. Arenado took advantage of that familiar territory, hitting .350 with six extra-base hits in Cactus League play. 

The Diamondbacks’ acquisition of Arenado was part of an overarching offseason plan this winter to support the pitching staff through improved defense. For a bullpen that really held Arizona back in 2025, manager Torey Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen went beyond simply adding new faces and arms to the reliever corps. 

“It was the top priority for us,” Lovullo said of the strategy to improve the infield defense. “In my conversations with Mike (Hazen), that’s what we talked about toward the end of last season, and I’m just grateful that he went out there and executed the game plan that we feel is so important. Pitching and defense go hand-in-hand, and I’m a pitching and defensive minded manager. When you pick up the baseball at a high rate, it saves pitches, and gets you back in the dugout to score runs.”

Arenado and his 10 Gold Gloves were later joined by Gold Glove-winning first baseman Carlos Santana as a free agent pickup to man the other corner of the infield. While the sample size is still tiny, and the Diamondbacks left Los Angeles with a sweep suffered at the hands of the Dodgers, the team defense was not to blame. Despite committing two errors, the Diamondbacks still finished opening weekend ranked first in all of baseball in defensive runs saved, and third in outs above average, a pair of new, hip defensive metrics designed to better evaluate defensive performance. 

Arenado’s long run of stellar glove work from the hot corner has landed him a permanent stay on the countless MLB highlight reels that live on YouTube and various social media platforms. Despite not having won a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger award since 2022, Arenado remains one of the most popular players across the sport because of that defensive reputation. On the MLB Players Association’s list of top-10 most popular jerseys list entering this season, Arenado slotted in at number 6 – only behind three Dodgers, Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh. 

A platinum glove isn’t the only thing Arenado brings with him to Arizona. 

He brings eyeballs and instant recognition to a team littered with up and coming stars.

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