Though it was reported that the St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado could be traded to the Houston Astros, that talk should be halted, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. It is being said that Arenado will not waive his no-trade clause to be sent to the Astros as both teams were developing talks on a possible deal, though he could change his mind per The Athletic.
A potential trade would even have the Cardinals not just sending the star third-baseman but also “$15-20 million” to “help pay down” Arenado’s salary, as he is on track to make $74 million across the next three years. Last season, Arenado hit a .272 batting average, along with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs.
“According to sources, the Astros and Cardinals were in discussions on a potential trade involving the third baseman,” Feinsand wrote. “But Arenado informed St. Louis that he will not waive his no-trade clause to go to Houston.”
“The Cardinals were willing to send $15-20 million to the Astros as part of the deal to help pay down Arenado’s salary, sources said,” Feinsand continued. “The eight-time All-Star is set to earn $74 million over the next three years, though the Rockies are on the hook for $10 million as part of their 2021 trade with the Cardinals, while $12 million of the deal is deferred, bringing the present-day value of what he is owed to roughly $60 million. The money the Cardinals were willing to include would have brought the Astros’ commitment down to roughly $40-45 million over three years.”
Blocking a trade to Houston isn’t such a huge shock as it had been reported in the past that Arenado would waive his no-trade clause for six teams, with the one in question not being a part of the list.
Astros don’t hold out “hope” for a deal with Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado
Feinsand would later say that the American League ball club “aren’t holding out much hope” that a trade happens, sending the Cardinals star Arenado to them.
“A source said there were still “ongoing talks” between the clubs, though another source indicated that the Astros aren’t holding out much hope that a deal will get done. “‘It’s definitely not close,’” a source said.”
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The move would have made sense for the team since the Astros are seemingly about to lose long-time third baseman Alex Bregman, with the 33-year-old acting as his replacement. It would be mentioned by The Athletic that the Astros were a “serious suitor” for Arenado, but the tides have now quickly changed.
“In perhaps the clearest sign the organization is moving on from Alex Bregman,” Chandler Rome wrote. “The Houston Astros have emerged as a serious suitor for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, multiple league sources told The Athletic on Saturday.”
“No deal is believed to be imminent,” Rome continued. “But conversations between the Cardinals and Astros have increased since this week’s Winter Meetings in Dallas, during which Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak acknowledged he ‘intends to try’ moving Arenado.”
The Astros recently traded productive outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs as they are looking to replace some stars and firepower to the team. Now that it seems like Arenado will be off the list, they search elsewhere for answers.
