MLB rumors: Latest on Nolan Arenado trade talks between Houston Astros St. Louis Cardinals…
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado popped up in MLB rumors this winter with the club eyeing a retool in 2025 and the veteran All-Star wanting to play for a contender. Weeks later, the Cardinals and Houston Astros agreed to a blockbuster trade that Arenado blocked. With spring training underway, those talks are being revisited.
Arenado, who turns 34 in April, wanted to play for the Boston Red Sox or Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the Red Sox filled their void in the lineup by signing All-Star infielder Alex Bregman while the Dodgers spent their money on Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernandez, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim.
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Nolan Arenado stats (ESPN): .272/.325/.394, .719 OPS, 16 home runs, 71 RBI, 157 hits in 578 ABs
It dwindled the number of teams Arenado was willing to play for considerably. The eight-time All-Star selection also reportedly prevented deals with several other unidentified teams. Arenado’s trade list of teams he would approve a trade to also includes the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Despite being rebuffed once before, Houston recently re-engaged in trade negotiations with St. Louis on a deal for the Gold Glove Award-winning third baseman. If acquired, he would allow the club to make Jose Altuve’s move to left field a full-time move.
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However, according to Chandler Rome and Katie Woo of The Athletic, negotiations between the Cardinals and Astros went nowhere. That’s because Arenado is adamant about not playing for Houston.
Nolan Arenado contract (Spotrac): $21 million salary in 2025, $16 million salary in 2026, $15 million salary in 2027
With the Padres unwilling to add payroll and the Mets focused on internal options, Arenado doesn’t really have any other options. There were some MLB rumors at the start of the winter that the Phillies might pursue an upgrade at third base, but the club is now sticking with Alec Bohm.
Unless Arenado is willing to widen the number of teams he would approve a trade to he’ll likely be stuck in St. Louis on a team that isn’t expected to be competitive in 2025. Furthermore, if his production continues to decline, the number of teams even interested in trading for him will also likely drop.
