Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals saw his name be thrown in trade rumors all offseason, but no team has been able to give the Cardinals a good enough offer for the 10-time Gold Glove Award winner. Additionally, Arenado must waive his no-trade clause for a trade to go through.
The Astros are back in the mix for Nolan Arenado
After initially blocking a trade by the Houston Astros earlier in the offseason, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that he could be willing to waive his no-trade clause after Houston signaled that they are still competing. He added that the Astros and Cardinals have since re-engaged in trade negotiations.
“Arenado, who nixed a trade to the Astros in December, could now be willing to waive his no-trade clause and join a Houston team that has since added Christian Walker to play first base — a move which hadn’t been made when Arenado vetoed the trade and shows the Astros’ plan to push forward as contenders,” Feinsand reported.
The Astros have been very busy this offseason, as they traded Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly to the Chicago Cubs in two separate trades and brought in Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker. Additionally, Alex Bregman left the Astros for the Boston Red Sox in free agency.
Arenado could make the Astros a very deep team
Arenado is not the same offensive player he once was, as he only hit 16 home runs last season with the Cardinals. He also still has three years and $74 million left on his contract, so he isn’t the most attractive trade piece and comes with a lot of risks.
However, he is still a superb defender at third base and could further deepen an already strong Astros team. As for Paredes, he would likely move to second base if Arenado was brought in.
With Spring Training now underway, the Cardinals will likely heat up their trade talks to get Arenado off of their books. They have been set on cutting payroll and putting an emphasis on their younger players moving forward, so getting off of Arenado’s contract will give them more financial flexibility for the future.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen where – or if – Arenado gets dealt to, and he will have the last word in any proposed deal. Nevertheless, it may not be long before he is suiting up for a different team, and the Astros appear to be back in the mix.