A week after the St. Louis Cardinals announced their intention to trade Nolan Arenado, the All-Star third baseman invoked his no-trade clause to veto a potential deal with the Houston Astros, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday.
Arenado is owed a guaranteed $74 million over the upcoming three seasons, and the Cardinals were willing to give the Astros $15 million-$20 million of that amount, according to MLB.com. That report indicated the two sides were still in talks, though the chances of a deal being completed were viewed as minimal.
Houston could have a hole to fill at third base as All-Star Alex Bregman is a free agent. The Astros lost another key player last week when they dealt right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infielder Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and minor league third baseman Cam Smith.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said on Dec. 9 that trading Arenado “would be a big help. It’s financial, but it also creates a runway for someone else. …
“These decisions are not something we ever take lightly. (Arenado) is not demanding a trade. He’s not telling me I have to do it, but I think in the best interest of both sides, I’d like to try to find him someplace to land.”
Arenado, 33, is an eight-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glove winner. He landed in the top eight in NL Most Valuable Player voting six times.
He owns a career .285 batting average with .342 on-base percentage, a .515 slugging percentage, 341 homers and 1,132 RBIs in 1,680 games.
