Superstar Third Baseman Explains Reason for Nixing Trade to Astros in Winter

The Houston Astros were in line to trade for one of the MLB's top third basemen before he invoked his no-trade clause, and now we know why he did.

Mar 29, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after hitting a one run single against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros had one of the busiest off-seasons in baseball last winter that saw the entire makeup of the roster change dramatically.

From letting star third baseman Alex Bregman walk in free agency, to trading soon-to-be free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, it's hard to think of a team that made more noise than the Astros.

While these moves certainly altered the complexion of one of the most consistent teams in baseball over the past decade, there's an argument to be made that the trade they were unable to pull off looms the largest over Houston's front office.

This would be the prospective trade between the Astros and St. Louis Cardinals that would have sent star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Lone Star State as a replacement for the departing Bregman.

The two sides had reportedly agreed to a deal, but Arenado decided to invoke his no-trade clause at the eleventh hour, forcing GM Dana Brown to move on to other options.

In the months since Arenado decided to nix that potential blockbuster deal, speculation has run rampant over the motivations the eight-time All Star had for using his veto power in the moment.

Some of those questions were finally cleared up on Monday ahead of a series opener between the two teams at the center of the proposed trade. Astros' beat writer for The Athletic Chandler Rome caught up with Arenado in St. Louis, and was finally able to get some much needed closure in the process (subscription required.)

Nolan Arenado is 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run this evening - https://t.co/UChzgy5pTq

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 15, 2025

According to Rome, much of Arenado's decision revolved around the way Houston handled the departure of Bregman and Tucker. The way those two players left gave him some pause at the thought of a potential move.

"(Tucker) is one of the best players in the game. When you see a team trade him, 99 out of 100 players would probably be wondering, ‘What does that mean?’ That’s the question I asked myself,” Arenado said. "And obviously if I went there, Bregman wouldn’t have been going there — that’s another player.”

While these concerns were certainly sitting heavy on Arenado's mind at the time of the trade, he also clarified that he wasn't giving the deal a firm no. Per Rome, he just wasn't able to make the decision he felt was right in the time frame Houston needed him to, which was only "a few days."

“I said, ‘I’m not saying no, I just can’t make a decision in the window that they needed it,’” Arenado said. "I didn’t feel comfortable making that decision within that time frame. I had to make sure they knew that because I didn’t want to bring them along for a long time and just tell them ‘no.’ That didn’t feel right."

Ultimately, the Astros would decide to move on to other options, eventually signing former Arizona Diamondbacks' first baseman Christian Walker within days of Arenado giving them the news he would need more time.

From this interview, it's evident this was just a matter of both Arenado and Houston doing what they decided was best for each other, and that there is no bad blood on either side. That being said, it still remains a tantalizing "what if?" scenario for the Astros.

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