Houston Astros' Jose Altuve bats against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, June 14, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Astros Acquire Ideal Alex Bregman Replacement In Trade Idea For $52M Star
The Houston Astros has seemingly come to grips that they’re not going to re-sign franchise third baseman Alex Bregman. Houston recently acquired corner infielder Isaac Paredes in a trade that sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. But Houston could use Paredes at first base while swinging another blockbuster trade to acquire a third baseman.
The first name that comes to mind is St. Louis Cardinals infielder Nolan Arenado, who the Cardinals are desperately trying to trade. Arenado has $52 million left on his contract and St. Louis is reportedly willing to eat a good chunk of the deal to trade him. But he also has a no-trade clause and the Astros aren’t one of the six teams he would reportedly waive his no-trade clause for.
If Arenado changes his mind, which seems to be where we’re headed, the Astros could swing a blockbuster trade to bring him in. Here’s a deal that would bring Arenado to Houston to replace the aforementioned Bregman:
Houston Astros receive: 3B Nolan Arenado, $20 million St. Louis Cardinals receive: RHP A.J. Blubaugh (No. 10 prospect), RHP Rhett Kouba (No. 25 prospect) The first step in this deal would be getting Arenado to clear the trade to the Astros. With the Cardinals trying to discard him so aggressively, Arenado is likely to expand his list as the offseason pushes on.
In this deal, Houston lands Arenado to replace Bregman which would save them quite a bit of money. St. Louis is sending $20 million in the deal, which pays about 40 percent of his remaining deal. Instead of spending $200 million on Bregman, they acquire Arenado for two prospects
