Despite the St. Louis Cardinals’ intentions to trade him, Nolan Arenado is not close to making a decision about his future.
The Athletic first reported Saturday that the Houston Astros had emerged as legitimate suitors for Arenado. By the end of the weekend, the Astros had a deal in place to acquire the third baseman and there was a growing sense within the organization that it would land the eight-time All-Star.
Instead, according to multiple league sources, Arenado declined to waive his no-trade clause, preferring not to make a decision this early in the offseason. That decision, first reported by MLB.com on Wednesday, is not final, and the Cardinals and Astros will continue conversations. It is unclear whether the Astros will continue heavily pursuing Arenado or pivot to other options.
That Houston has — and maintains — such intense interest in Arenado is the most glaring sign yet that hope is fading for a reunion with franchise cornerstone Alex Bregman.
The Astros’ pursuit of Bregman had not changed in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s trade to the Chicago Cubs, according to Astros general manager Dana Brown.
“Alex Bregman’s status is still the way it is,” Brown said on Friday. “Nothing has changed since the last time I talked to you guys. We’ve been busy with a lot of different things, as I realize he’s probably been busy trying to find a landing spot.”The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, New York Mets and Detroit Tigers are among the teams with some level of interest in Bregman, whom the Astros reportedly offered a six-year deal of around $156 million.
Uncertainty surrounding Bregman — coupled with the club’s trade of Tucker — gave Arenado at least some pause about the Astros’ long-term outlook, according to one source.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first approached Arenado with the idea of a trade during the final week of the regular season, citing desires to lower payroll and focus on player development.
Arenado, who opted into the remainder of his contract with St. Louis at the end of the 2022 season, was agreeable to the concept. He presented Mozeliak with a short list of teams he’d be willing to waive his full no-trade clause for. That list originally included the Astros.
The Cardinals are financially motivated to trade Arenado, who is owed $74 million over the next three seasons. According to a league source, if Arenado approved the trade, the Cardinals were set to pay roughly $5 million each year. Houston would foot the rest of the bill, amounting to approximately $45 million after factoring in deferrals.
(Photo of Nolan Arenado: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)