Phillies Target Nolen Arenado Uses No-Trade Clause To Veto Deal With AL Contender

After Nolan Arenado vetoed a deal with an American League contender, that keeps the door open for the Philadelphia Phillies to make a move.

Aug 31, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) runs out a single against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Yankee Stadium / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies need to make a move.

After a quiet early portion of the offseason that carried through the Winter Meetings, true game changing options are starting to become limited.

And with their supposed lack of interest in star third baseman Alex Bregman, that shrinks the candidate pool down even further as the Phillies look for the missing pieces to get them into the World Series-winning circle.

Someone who could be an option is Nolan Arenado.

The eight-time All-Star is being shopped by the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason as they begin a rebuilding process.

Philadelphia was reportedly on his list of suitors he would waive his no-trade clause for, and based on the latest report coming out regarding Arenado, that is a good thing if Dave Dombrowski is interested in acquiring the future Hall of Famer.

Per insiders at MLB.com, Arenado vetoed a deal that would have shipped him to the Houston Astros.

"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," they reported.

That is pretty surprising.

One of the prerequisites for Arenado agreeing to a deal was to join a winning team, and based on the Astros being dynasty this past decade, this decision shocked a lot of people in the baseball world.

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

For the Phillies, that keeps the door open for making a potential deal.

They have been on the sidelines watching teams make moves for some star players throughout this offseason, and if it weren't for Arenado exercising his no-trade clause, it seemed like that would have been the case again.

It's not quite known if Philadelphia has interest in the veteran, but based on this bit of information, they should certainly be intrigued.

"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 reported.

That is a huge development that might open the eyes of the Phillies' front office.

While Arenado's play has begun to decline the past two years, going from a 151 OPS+ in 2022 when he finished third in National League MVP voting to putting up OPS+ values of 108 and 101 in back-to-back seasons, he still provides value on both sides of the ball.

And even though he hasn't taken home a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger award the past two years for the first time in his career and failed to be selected to the All-Star game for the first time since his second year in The Show, his track record suggests he should be able to turn things around.

Philadelphia could be concerned about that decline, especially since they would have to move off Alec Bohm who is an ascending player following his first All-Star selection this season.

Arenado's age of 33 might also be a cause of his decline in play, but there is also a thought that the Cardinals not being true contenders has hurt his production.

A change of scenery could get him back on track, especially in the hitter-friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park.

This will be something to keep an eye on after Arenado made it clear he is willing to use his no-trade clause if he doesn't want to play for a particular team, something that could help the Phillies out if they are interested in acquiring him this winter.