Cardinals All-Star Breaks Silence About Blocking Trade To Astros

What made him want to stay away from Houston?

Apr 21, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Why did St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado allegedly invoke his no-trade clause last December when the Houston Astros came calling?

Arenado’s name was all over the rumor mill during the offseason, a trend that might resurface this summer if the Cardinals start falling in the standings.

The Astros were one of Arenado’s top suitors, but Arenado didn’t want to the deal to happen. The eight-time All-Star recently revealed why he didn’t want to go to Houston in a new interview with The Athletic’s Chandler Rome.

“For me to get my family to leave St. Louis at that point in the offseason, with how everything transpired with the trades and all that, it made me a little uncomfortable,” Arenado said.

Arenado also revealed that seeing Kyle Tucker get traded made him feel like Houston was moving in a direction that was hard to understand.

"(Tucker) is one of the best players in the game,” Arenado said. “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.”

Notably, Arenado said he did not outright deny the trade; he simply didn’t give the Astros an answer on time, leading Houston to move on to other moves (like signing Christian Walker).

"I said, ‘I’m not saying no, I just can’t make a decision in the window that they needed it,’” Arenado said to Rome.

Arenado is producing at the plate so far in 2025, and the Astros are still probably wishing they had him. The 33-year-old is slashing .316/.409/.526 with two home runs and nine RBI in 57 at-bats for St. Louis.

It’ll be interesting to see if another team is able to pry Arenado away from the Cards this summer. He’s making $21 million this season followed by two years at $16 million (2026) and $15 million (2027) before becoming a free agent in 2028 (per Spotrac).

St. Louis continues its series at home versus the Astros on Tuesday night after defeating Houston 8-3 on Monday behind a strong start from Sonny Gray. Erick Fedde will be on the mound at Busch Stadium facing off against Hunter Brown.

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