The St. Louis Cardinals are entering a rebuilding phase for the first time in (what feels like) forever. Paul Goldschmidt, Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, and Andrew Kittredge all hit free agency and will certainly find new teams at some point in the coming months. Then, there's the ongoing Nolan Arenado saga.
Arenado, 33, has three years and $74 million remaining on his contract. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak already confirmed to reporters earlier this offseason that the team's intention is to move the third baseman via trade at some point before the 2025 season begins.
Apparently, a potential trade for Arenado was close to happening, except one party wasn't willing to play ball. Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, Arenado blocked a trade to the Houston Astros recently, utilizing the no-trade clause in his contract.
NEWS: Nolan Arenado blocks potential trade to Astros, sources tell me, @brianmctaggart & @JohnDenton555
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 18, 2024
FULL STORY: https://t.co/zPtreNywha
The Astros, who are preparing to lose star third baseman Alex Bregman to free agency, are in need of offensive reinforcements after trading away star outfielder Kyle Tucker last week. Arenado would have represented a solid veteran presence in their lineup, but it appears they'll have to turn elsewhere for now.
Astros' pursuit of Arenado questionable after acquiring Isaac Paredes
In that Tucker trade, Houston landed third baseman Isaac Paredes, who projects to be the team's starter at the hot corner in 2025 assuming Bregman doesn't make a surprise return. They also nabbed prized prospect Cam Smith, who also plays third base.
Now, it's worth noting Arenado has already expressed a willingness to change positions — first base seems to be the most reasonable new position for the veteran to take on — but so much of Arenado's value is tied to his stellar glove at third. He's a ten-time Gold Glove recipient (and six-time Platinum Glove award winner), and though he hasn't been honored with one since 2022, he's still finished as a finalist.
With Paredes already in tow, acquiring Arenado would have been a luxury this team can't really afford. They do need a first base option besides Jon Singleton, but they also need help across the outfield with Tucker in Chicago. Plus, superstar Yordan Alvarez is already the full-time starter at DH, removing any chance of Arenado contributing with his bat only.
While he's fallen off a bit since finishing third in NL MVP voting in 2022, Arenado's bat is still strong. Over the past two seasons, he's hit 42 home runs, slashed .269/.320/.426 (104 wRC+), and played in 296 of a possible 324 games. He's durable, a stud defender, and an above-average hitter. He's a valuable asset, especially if the Cardinals are willing to eat a chunk of his remaining deal (which Feinsand reports that they are).
Having never advanced past the NLDS in the playoffs, it's known that Arenado wants to play for a World Series contender as he closes out his career. For the better part of the last decade, the Astros could count themselves among that thin crop of elites, though their downfall may be nigh, and the Tucker trade didn't do their immediate outlook any favors.
For now, Arenado remains in St. Louis. Expect a deal to come together eventually, though he'll have to approve his next destination before anything becomes official. As Houston just learned, that's going to be a difficult barrier to overcome.