Recently, the San Diego Padres gave third baseman and slugger Manny Machado an 11-year, $350 million contract extension.
Machado was set to opt out of the remaining five years of his contract with the Padres, but ultimately will remain with the team for the foreseeable future.
This extension has led many to criticize Nolan Arenado for not opting out of his deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, when he had the opportunity to potentially make more money.
However, that isn’t a problem for Arenado, who says he’s happy in St. Louis and that he makes more than enough money, even going as far as to say he makes more than he deserves.
A recording of Arenado’s recent interview with MLB Network Radio can be heard in the tweet below.
A refreshing take from Nolan. I'm so glad he chose to stay. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/Yuj8UcgGUj
— Cardinals Dude (@Turn2Dude) February 27, 2023
This should ultimately dispel any concerns Cardinals fans have about Arenado possibly requesting a trade.
Cardinals fans have come to speculate that this may happen due to the team’s lack of activity this past offseason.
However, it’s clear that Arenado loves playing in St. Louis and wants to stay a Cardinal.
Obviously, he could have potentially received more money if he had opted out of his deal and hit the free agent market, especially after finishing in the Top 3 for NL MVP voting.
But that does not seem to matter for Arenado, who believes that the Cardinals have the talent to win a World Series and could be a team worth paying attention to this season as they look to defend their NL Central crown.
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