Nolan Arenado made a lighthearted jab at buddy Lars Nootbaar in return to Busch Stadium

ST. LOUIS -- Nolan Arenado made his return to Busch Stadium Monday for the first time as a visiting player in the aftermath of his five-year tenure with the Cardinals, which ended in an offseason trade to the Diamondbacks.

The former Cardinals star made time to chat with reporters on Monday afternoon ahead of the first game of the series, reflecting on his time in St. Louis -- which, largely, Arenado recalls fondly.

“The first three years were amazing. I really enjoyed it,” Arenado said. “The last two were tough. Obviously, from a performance side and then from a team side, it was tough. But I enjoyed every moment I had here.

“I think about that ‘22 season all the time. Not just for me but watching Albert, and Goldy win the MVP. Just, like, that was a fun year. Then, obviously, all the guys and coaches I got to meet throughout the years here. I love those guys. I miss them. We’ve got a great group here (with Arizona), but you know, it’s a good, special bond with a lot of those guys over there.”

It wasn’t the only time Arenado invoked the 2022 campaign in which he was an MVP finalist. But his own performance wasn’t necessarily the only reason he pointed to that year as holding his best memories as a Cardinal.

“I mean, I’ve gotta go with Albert, hitting 700 homers,” Arenado smiled. “I know it didn’t really have anything to do with me, but just being a part of that history, in that moment, it was kind of like, getting the chills. You just black out, you can’t believe it’s happening.”

Now that Arenado is sitting in the dugout on the opposite side of the diamond at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals clubhouse looks drastically different. The flurry of offseason activity that sent several veteran players to new locations has meant new leaders stepping up in St. Louis.

One of those leaders, by virtue of his personality and, yes, experience in the league relative to his peers, is Lars Nootbaar.

Lars Nootbaar, veteran leader in the clubhouse? Arenado just wasn’t buying it.

“Doesn’t sound right,” Arenado grinned. “But, you know, that’s what happens as you get older in this game, you become the leader. But there’s no doubt -- I still don’t believe that he’s the veteran leader on that team. There’s no way he’s buying dinner. There’s no chance."

When prompted by reporters that Nootbaar had, indeed, taken on some of those such duties in the Cardinals clubhouse ecosystem, Arenado remained unconvinced. 

“He said he did, but I don’t believe him,” Arenado insisted lovingly -- before suggesting that Nootbaar *might* have sprung for Chipotle.