Cardinals' Nolan Arenado Rejects Potential Blockbuster Trade To AL West Contender

The St. Louis fan favorite is looking for a new landing spot

Aug 21, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) celebrates with catcher Willson Contreras (40) after hitting a walk-off grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers during the tenth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals hope to trade superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado before next season but finding a suitor has been challenging.

The five-time Silver Slugger has a no-trade clause in his contract, so the Cardinals must find a team he's willing to be dealt to -- his list includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, LA Angels, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox.

A club not listed on Arenado's wish list recently tried to poach the eight-time All-Star from the Cardinals' roster but a deal could not be reached.

"The (Houston) Astros’ pursuit of Nolan Arenado has hit a major roadblock," MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Wednesday evening. "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."

Arenado has three years and $74 million remaining on his contract with the Cardinals, so St. Louis is trying to eliminate his salary from the payroll. Also, they hope to send the six-time Platinum Glove defender to a club with a legitimate chance at winning a World Series, as that's what's most important to the gifted infielder.

"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," Feinsand continued. "The eight-time All-Star is set to earn $74 million over the next three years, though the Rockies are on the hook for $10 million as part of their 2021 trade with the Cardinals, while $12 million of the deal is deferred, bringing the present-day value of what he is owed to roughly $60 million. The money the Cardinals were willing to include would have brought the Astros’ commitment down to roughly $40-45 million over three years."

Despite the Astros being a perennial contender over the previous decade, joining Houston is not what Arenado has in mind for the direction of his career.

If the Cardinals were willing to surrender nearly $20 million to move Arenado to Houston, it'll be interesting to see what other clubs demand for the veteran slugger to balance the weight of claiming his hefty contract.

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