Trade discussions involving St. Louis Cardinals future Hall-of-Fame third baseman Nolan Arenado have taken an unexpected turn.
The Cardinals are looking to reset their roster for 2025. They allowed former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt to walk, stating they wouldn’t bring him back in free agency. They have also been trying to trade Arenado, an eight-time All-Star.
The 10-time Gold Glove winner is owed $74 million over the last three years of his deal. Despite regressing over the past two seasons, he has maintained decent numbers with an OPS+ of 108 and 101 and WAR of 2.4 and 2.5, respectively.
Several teams have been linked to Arenado, but he holds a no-trade clause and can veto any trade. According to MLB insiders, he has now invoked that clause.
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MLB insiders reveal Nolan Arenado nixed trade to playoff team
MLB.com insiders Mark Feinsand, John Denton, and Brian McTaggart report that Arenado has turned down a trade to the Houston Astros.
According to MLB.com, the Cardinals would have sent $15-$20 million to the Astros to offset Arenado’s salary. It’s not known what St. Louis would have received in return.
“All I can say is that we were in talks with multiple teams, and we still are, but I have nothing pending,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “We’re still working on a lot of things, and hopefully we have clarity as we get into the new year.”
A source told the MLB insiders that they “aren’t holding out much hope that a deal will get done.”
Joel Wolfe, Arenado’s agent, recently said that his client would waive his no-trade clause for the right situation. Apparently, Arenado didn’t believe Houston would be a good fit for him. He’s looking for a win-now situation, and the Astros recently traded All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. Additionally, homegrown Houston talent Alex Bregman remains a free agent.
Other potential teams linked to Arenado include the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies.
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