Nolan Arenado Blocks Trade to Astros, Stifling Cardinals' Attempt to Move Him

Ryan Phillips | Dec 19, 2024

Arenado hit .272 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nolan Arenado has blocked a trade to the Houston Astros.

The St. Louis Cardinals third baseman has invoked the no-trade clause in his contract to prevent a move that would have sent him to Houston, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Feinsand is reporting the Cardinals were willing to include $15 to $20 million along with Arenado to help the Astros pay for his massive contract. The eight-time All-Star is set to make $74 million over the next three seasons. Arenado's former team, the Colorado Rockies, owe $10 million of that, while an additional $12 million is deferred. The $15 to $20 million St. Louis would have taken on would have reduced Houston's burden to around $40 to $45 million over the final three years of the deal.

There has been no reason given why Arenado blocked a potential deal.

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The Astros are preparing for life without free agent Alex Bregman and likely saw Arenado as a plug-and-play replacement. The 10-time Gold Glove winner has struggled over the past two seasons. In 2022, he had his best year in a Cardinals uniform, slashing .293/.358/.533 with 30 home runs, 103 RBIs, an OPS of .891, and a career-best 7.9 WAR. He has fallen off a cliff since.

After limping to a .774 OPS and 2.4 WAR in 144 games during the 2023 campaign, Arenado had the worst season of his career in 2024. The 33-year-old slashed .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs, 71 RBIs, an OPS of .719, and 2.5 WAR in 152 games. A change of scenery might be just what he needs.

Arenado is almost certain to have a new home in 2025, but it doesn't look like he'll be ending up in Houston.

UPDATE: The Athletic's Katie Woo reports part of Arenado's decision to block the trade was a desire not to commit this early in the offseason.

Per sources: Part of Arenado's decision stemmed from a preference to not make a decision this early in the offseason. It is unclear whether the Astros will continue heavily pursuing Arenado or pivot to other options. #STLCards https://t.co/HyI2i8GVDu

— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) December 18, 2024

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