Nolan Arenado Blocked Trade to Houston Astros With No-Trade Clause

The Houston Astros will not be acquiring Nolan Arenado after he exercised his no-trade clause.

Sep 24, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The speculation that Nolan Arenado could be acquired by the Houston Astros can officially be put to bed.

"According to sources, the Astros and Cardinals were in discussions on a potential trade involving the third baseman, but Arenado informed St. Louis that he will not waive his no-trade clause to go to Houston," insiders at MLB.com have reported.

That is bombshell news.

Arenado continued to be mentioned as someone the Astros were interested in landing, putting him at third base for the remainder of his three-year deal which would move Isaac Paredes over to first base to solve the issues they have at that position.

On paper, it made sense.

But with the eight-time All-Star having the no-trade clause, which he just exercised, it was not a given that anything would get completed.

"It's unknown exactly why Arenado doesn't want to go to the Astros," the insiders added.

Arenado has cited his desire to join a winning team as one of his prerequisites, which makes it even more strange that he doesn't want to play in Houston when considering they were a dynasty in Major League Baseball during this past decade.

This detail hurts even more.

"The Cardinals were willing to send $15-20 million to the Astros as part of the deal to help pay down Arenado's salary, sources said ... The money the Cardinals were willing to include would have brought the Astros' commitment down to roughly $40-45 million over three years," the insiders also reported.

For a franchise that is always cognizant of finances, getting a player like Arenado for this type of deal would have been perfect.

But, they'll have to look elsewhere if they want to replace Alex Bregman.

Arenado likely won't change his mind and waive his no-trade clause after already exercising it, so all the rumors and speculation about him playing for the Astros can now end.