Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado Invokes No-Trade Clause, Isn’t Going To Houston – For Now

St. Louis Cardinals superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado has blocked a trade to the Houston Astros despite looking to join a contender this offseason.

Arenado signed an eight-year, $260 million contract extension with the Colorado Rockies in 2019 before being dealt to the Cardinals in 2021. He is an eight-time All-Star and has won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards ten and five times, respectively, but, going into his age 34 season, he has never won a World Series.

He “is not demanding a trade,” according to Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak in early December. “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.”

The Cardinals have their own incentives to move Arenado. They anticipate drops in both ticket and television revenue next year and would like to field a young, relatively inexpensive team in the meantime.

“From a financial standpoint, we’re trying to move our payroll,” Mozeliak said. “There are certainly other ways we can do this, but [moving Arenado] would be a big help. It’s mostly financial, but it also creates runway for someone else.”

Arenado’s offensive impact has declined, particularly over the past two years, but his primary value has always been at third base. Still, the Cardinals are expected to eat a portion of his contract if he is to be moved.

As far as the Astros are concerned, Arenado reportedly isn’t completely out on a move to Houston. He reportedly preferred not to “make a decision this early in the offseason,” and talks between the two clubs may still continue.

The Astros’ offer comes in the middle of a turbulent offseason. They have traded outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs and anticipate the departure of free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman. Ironically, these moves may have given Arenado pause about the direction of the franchise.

While the trade ultimately fell short, months remain of the offseason. It remains more than likely that, come spring, Arenado won’t be a Cardinal any longer.