Cardinals World Series Odds Improve to +2000 with Acquisition of Arenado

• The St. Louis Cardinals are acquiring All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies in a trade
• The still is pending, needing approvals before it can be finalized
• News of the addition of Arenado saw the 2021 World Series odds on the Cardinals shortening from +4000 to +2000

The St. Louis Cardinals always seem to to hang around each season in playoff contention. Thanks to the pending addition of all-star third baseman Nolan Arenado, oddsmakers are suddenly more certain that the Cards will do more than just hover near postseason play.

There’s been speculation of an Arenado move to St. Louis for a couple a years. While final details are still being worked out before the deal can become official, news of the transation was causing plenty of movement in the 2021 World Series odds of the Cardinals.

St. Louis wasn’t even a top-15 contender on Friday, listing at odds of +4000. Today, St. Louis has cracked the top 10. The betting line on the Cardinals shortened to +2000.

2021 World Series Odds

Odds as of Jan. 30th at DraftKings.

The Cards have qualified for postseason play in each of the last two seasons and seven of the past 10 years. St. Louis played in the World Series in 2013 and won the World Series in 2011.

Arenado Provides Excellence

The deal between the Cardinals and Colorado Rockies is expected to involve cash and multiple players, with Arenado coming to St. Louis being the linchpin to the package. He’ll need to waive his no-trade clause to make the move happen, but that’s not expected to be an issue.

Arenado, 29, is an eight-time National League all-star selection. The third baseman is also an ideal fit into the tradtional St. Louis identity of pitching and defense. He’s won Gold Gloves in every one of his eight seasons with the Rockies.

BREAKING: Cardinals have agreed to acquire Nolan Arenado from Rockies, sources tell @TheAthletic. Deal pending approval from both MLB and players’ union; Rockies sending Cardinals significant cash, believed to be in $50M range, and Arenado will be deferring money.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 30, 2021

At the plate, Arenado figures to slot into the clean-up position in the batting order, right behind Paul Goldschmidt, also a St. Louis trade addition in 2018. Slowed by soreness in the A/C joint of his left shoulder last season, Arenado hit a career-low .253 with eight homers.

However that came after enjoying a career year in  2019. That season saw Arenado finishing with a .315 batting average, 41 homers and 118 RBIs.

Cardinals Clear NL Central Favorites

One thing about St. Louis is the team is trying to win the division every year. The Cardinals have posted 13 consecutive winning seasons.

The NL Central was certainly up for grabs prior to this move. A case could be made for any of the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds or Milwaukee Brewers.

Nolan Arenado will receive an extra guaranteed year on his contract at about $15M as part of the negotiated arrangement. Arenado is said to be thrilled by the trade to the perennially-contending #STLCards and he is expected to officially waive his no-trade as soon as tomorrow.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 30, 2021

Today, it’s the Cardinals who are sitting as the clear favorites. The addition of Arenado isn’t just the biggest move by an NL Central club, it’s arguably the biggest move made by any NL ball club during the offseason.

St. Louis Loading Up

Along with Arenado, the Cardinals also announced the signing of veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright this week. The two-time 20-game winner was 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA and an NL-leading two complete games last season.

As well, there was speculation that catcher Yadier Molina would be rejoining the Cards for an 18th season. He’s a nine-time all-star selection.

Yadier Molina is expected to sign with the #STLCards after the Caribbean Series, if not before then, source says. @ElNuevoDia was the first to report that St. Louis had made Molina a 1-year offer and that he is likely to sign soon. @MLB @MLBNetwork @LasMayores

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 29, 2021

In four of the past seven World Series, the NL representative wasn’t the league’s top playoff seed. Risking a small stipend on the Cardinals to win the fall classic isn’t an absurd notion.

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals (+2000)