string(14476) "
After Friday night's blockbuster trade was announced we now know the St. Louis Cardinals will boast one of the best power hitting duos in Major League Baseball.
BREAKING: Cardinals have agreed to acquire Nolan Arenado from Rockies, sources tell @TheAthletic. Deal pending appr… https://t.co/dCqjyqLRNp
 — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken Rosenthal)
        1611974622.0
Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic) broke the news about the Colorado Rockies agreeing to send all-star third baseman, Nolan Arenado, to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for around $50 million and a package of players that were yet to be determined. Colorado who signed Arenado just two years ago to an eight year extension, is obviously looking to hit the rest button on their organization if they're willing to part ways with their five time all-star at the hot corner. 
Deal unlikely to be official tonight and maybe even not this weekend. Arenado will need to formally waive his no-tr… https://t.co/YR8x8Wa7dF
 — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken Rosenthal)
        1611975537.0
Speculation about whether Rockies' shortstop, Trevor Story, will be the next piece to find its way out of Colorado. Story's two year contract expires after this season and in the offseason he will become a highly sought after, and highly priced unrestricted free agent. The Rockies haven't traditionally been an organization that pays its players once their big payday comes due. Arenado was an exception to that, and look how quickly they got his contract off their books. 
The Rockies: “We’ll just trade Arenado and with the money we save we’ll sign Trevor Story.”

Trevor Story and his a… https://t.co/2CRPwj8oCq
 — Al Smizzle (@Al Smizzle)
        1611977785.0
It would make sense then for Colorado to also attempt to find a trade partner for Story before the trade deadline as he is far too valuable to lose for nothing. Story would certainly fetch a couple top prospects to help bolster their farm system. But let's get back to the real story which is Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals, and after mentioning top prospects that brings me to Dylan Carlson.
MLB Pipeline is just announcing its new national top 100 prospect list for 2021. For the #stlcards:

13. Dylan Carl… https://t.co/Q1Lc6X6l3w
 — Brian Walton (@Brian Walton)
        1611883809.0
The Cardinals got a small sample size from one of baseball's top prospects in the form of outfielder, Dylan Carlson. In the truncated 2020 MLB season we only saw Carlson in 35 games, and at one point was sent down to the minors. Upon his return late in the year he looked like a different hitter and was performing well enough to be slotted in at the cleanup spot in the lineup going into the playoffs. 
With the pending arrival of Arenado, it's likely that Carlson will be bumped down a few spots in the lineup which should actually benefit him by putting him in more situations with runners on base resulting in him seeing better pitches to hit. From a fantasy perspective, this could make Carlson a sneaky bet to end the season with an RBI total towards the top of the league if he has Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt getting on base ahead of him.
Goldschmidt will be at the other corner opposite Arenado, and they're a good bet to be back to back in most of the lineups the Cardinals deploy this season which should already be causing headaches for opposing pitchers. Both players saw dips in their power numbers in 2020, but so did a lot of players and it shouldn't be something we're concerned about unless we see those trends creep their way deep into the start of 2021. 
Traditionally we know that Arenado and Goldschmidt are both elite hitters in the league and have proven it year over year for nearly a decade. Arenado and Goldschmidt both came from similar situations where they were asked to carry a lot of the load for their previous teams, but in St. Louis there always seems to be help for their stars even if it comes from unsuspecting places. With one of the best front offices and farm systems in baseball, the Cards have continuously revamped and revitalized their roster by developing talent and meticulously signing free agents. A trade of this magnitude hasn't been seen in St. Louis since they received Mark McGwire from the Oakland A's. 
In a league where you have to chase teams like the Yankees, the Dodgers, and the Astros along with up and coming organizations like the Padres making moves this offseason, St. Louis must have felt like they needed something to keep them in that conversation of World Series contenders. In the Arenado trade they got more than something, and it may make them the favorites to win the NL Central. 
Here's a look at what we project St. Louis' batting order to look like after the trade.
1. 2B Tommy Edman
2. SS Paul DeJong
3. 3B Nolan Arenado
4. 1B Paul Goldschmidt
5. LF Dylan Carlson
6. RF Dexter Fowler
7. C Yadier Molina
8. CF Harrison Bader
9. Pitcher

"

It’s Friday night and all your friends are coming over for a night of Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe AND . . . Mario Party Superstars. The snacks are set out and the four of you are all ready to play . . . when you hit the Achilles’ heel of game night:

Picking up where they left off in 2018, the French National Team led by 23-year-old Kylian Mbappe have found their way back into the finals as they look to be the first back-to-back World Cup Champions since Brazil’s dominant runs in 1958 and 1962. Standing between that incredible feat for the defending champions is Argentina,

Even if you weren’t satisfied with a tie against England, USA’s 0-0 draw against one of the strongest teams in the World was impressive. The USMNT plays like a unit of young studs, hungry for victory. Oh and by the way, it’s called “soccer”! Note (from FanDuel Sportsbook): No team will be playing at home

Are you psyched about the 2022 World Cup and endless soccer each day for the next few weeks? We certainly are. If you are planning on watching the games and keeping track of all the action in Qatar, here are some picks for the four group stage matches scheduled for tomorrow: Tuesday, November 22. Are

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar gets underway in less than two weeks. As international teams finalize their 26-man rosters, it’s time to start thinking about which countries will boom or bust in this World Cup. Here, we take a look at some initial picks and team props to get you thinking about the World’s

In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors defended the home floor to take a 3-2 lead in the finals over the Boston Celtics. Largely, this is because Boston was careless with the basketball. The Warriors tallied nine steals and forced 18 turnovers by the Celtics. In contrast, the Warriors only got the ball

In Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Stephen Curry and the Warriors executed exactly where they didn’t in Game 3 to tie up the series 2-2. Notably, Golden State dominated down low Friday night after being outrebounded and suffocated by the Celtics in Game 3. As a team, the Warriors recorded 16 offensive boards

In Game 3, both teams shot almost equally well from the field and from downtown. However, Boston took more shots from the field and dominated off the glass to take Game 3 116-100. Boston’s defensive energy was on full display Wednesday night as they outrebounded and drew countless fouls from the Warriors. Boston’s defense was

Klay Thompson (57) and Stephen Curry (60) have combined for 117 three-pointers this postseason. They are playing at the level they did between 2015-2018. They face the roaring Boston Celtics who stunned the Milwaukee Bucks and then the Miami Heat in their last two series. Like Klay and Steph, it is Jaylen Brown and Jayson

The New York Rangers continued their Stanley Cup bid by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 last night, 6-2. They will host the two-time reigning champions in the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night. Tonight, the Western Conference Finals begin with the Edmonton Oilers traveling to