Nolan Arenado’s contract was amended when the All-Star third baseman was traded to the Cardinals by the Colorado Rockies, adding a $15 million salary for 2027 to leave him owed $214 million over seven seasons by St. Louis.
As part of the amended contract, $50 million of that $214 million will be deferred and payable through 2041, according to details obtained by The Associated Press. Colorado would pay St. Louis $51 million, if Arenado decides to keep his entire contract and not opt out early.
Arenado had been set to be paid $199 million over the remaining six seasons of a $260 million, eight-year contract he signed with the Rockies: $35 million annually from 2021-24, $32 million in 2025 and $27 million in 2026.
St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado doubles during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals Wednesday, April 14, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP PhotoJeff Roberson)
As part of the amendment reached when Arenado agreed to the Feb. 1 trade, a $15 million salary was added for 2027, when he turns 36.
While his original contract allowed him to opt out after the 2021 season, the amended contract allows him to opt out after either 2021 or 2022.
As part of the amendment, the Cardinals will defer $20 million in his 2021 salary, payable in 10 equal installments with 2% interest each July 1 from 2022-26.
In addition, $6 million annually will be deferred with no interest from 2022-26, payable in 10 installments of $3 million on each July 1 from 2032-41.
Arenado gets a hotel suite on road trips, as he did in the original contract.
As part of the trade, the Rockies agreed to pay St. Louis $51 million of the $199 million remaining at the time, of which $30,429,500 is guaranteed and another $20,570,500 is conditioned on Arenado not opting out.
Colorado pays $14,429,500 this year and $16 million in 2023. The conditional money calls for payments of $5,570,500 in 2022, and $5 million each from 2023-25.
St. Louis dealt left-hander Austin Gomber and four minor leaguers to the Rockies: infielders Elehuris Montero and Mateo Gil along with right-handers Tony Locey and Jake Sommers.
Arenado is batting .314 with three homers and eight RBIs through his first 12 games.
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CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Bregman was clear and concise. His biggest priorities are his family and winning baseball games.
Bregman's wife, Reagan, and sons, Knox and Bennett, watched from the front row on Thursday as he detailed his reasons for signing with the Chicago Cubs in free agency. He displayed his other priority on the back of his new pinstriped jersey.
“I wore No. 3 because I wanted a third championship,” Bregman said.
That obsession with winning, and all the ways it affects the players around him, was a major reason why the Cubs went out of their comfort zone to reel in the All-Star third baseman with a $175 million, five-year contract.
The deal includes a no-trade provision and $70 million in deferred payments. The Cubs have deferred money before — namely in contracts for outfielder Jason Heyward and pitcher Jon Lester that helped the team win the 2016 World Series — but nothing like the number they went to for Bregman.
That's how much they wanted him.
“When you do make a significant commitment to a player, you want to make sure that the person and the player are both at the highest level, and with Alex, we know that,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said.
Hoyer has been following Bregman's career from afar for more than a decade, long before the infielder was selected by Houston with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 amateur draft — one spot behind current Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Bregman, who turns 32 in March, played his first nine seasons with the Astros, winning World Series titles in 2017 and 2022 — although the first of those was during a sign-stealing scandal that earned Bregman and his teammates plenty of scorn.
He also was pursued by Chicago before he signed a $120 million, three-year contract with Boston last February, a deal that included opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.
“You sort of heard stories about his level of confidence,” Hoyer said.
When Bregman returned to free agency after batting .273 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in his only season with the Red Sox, the Cubs went after him again. Their consistent pursuit meant something to Bregman, and their previous conversations helped lay the groundwork for their new partnership.
“From the beginning of the offseason, the Cubs expressed to me that they wanted me to be here, and they were committed to that, committed to my family,” Bregman said. “Yeah, I cannot wait to get to work with all the guys on the team in that clubhouse and hopefully win a lot of baseball games and build something really special for a long time to come.”
He isn't wasting any time, either. Shortly after the deal was completed, Bregman asked for reports on his new teammates and a meeting with the organization's minor league staff. He wanted to make sure he was talking about the right things with other players.
He has connected with several of his new teammates already, including Swanson, pitcher Jameson Taillon and outfielders Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong. He'll have an opportunity to speak with more players at the team's annual fan convention this weekend.
“It's been fun,” Bregman said. “I feel like you can sense the excitement here not only from the Cubs fans, but also the players. They're very excited as well, and that's good.”
Bregman went to Hoyer’s office on Wednesday to make sure he was OK with him playing for the United States in the World Baseball Classic. Hoyer said he responded positively, and Bregman assured him he will visit Chicago’s spring training complex in the mornings to be around his new team.
“There's already been countless examples of things he's working on that no one's asked him to do,” Hoyer said. “I think that's how he thinks about his role. It's not just about getting his workouts in. It's about making sure he's integrated with the entire team.”
Bregman joins a Chicago team that won 92 games last season and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Cubs were eliminated by Milwaukee in a five-game Division Series.
Matt Shaw was the team's regular third baseman last year, with Swanson at shortstop, Nico Hoerner at second and Michael Busch at first. Shaw also can play second, but Hoyer sounded as if he planned to keep his group of infielders for insurance.
Bregman was limited to 114 games last year because of a quadriceps injury. The durable Swanson played in 159 games during the regular season, but he turns 32 in February. Hoerner had right flexor tendon surgery in October 2024.
The 24-year-old Shaw could move into a super-utility role to help keep everyone healthy and fresh, including spending time in the outfield.
“Matt Shaw's a really good athlete,” Hoyer said. “He hadn't played much third and was a Gold Glove finalist last year. I have no questions about his defense at any position or his ability to learn something really quickly.”
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Catrina Connelly, left, her husband Patrick Connelly, their baby Declan with their dog Millie stand outside of Wrigley Field where the marquee displays new Chicago Cubs infielder Alex Bregman, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
