Renewed market focus on Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals, as a former suitor resurfaces
Nolan Arenado, the St. Louis Cardinals' baseball player, has had a challenging season at the plate, with a .235 batting average, a .295 on-base percentage, and a .368 slugging percentage, resulting in 10 home runs in 94 games. This poor performance may be linked to the multiple ailments he has been battling [1].
Recently, the Houston Astros' general manager, Dana Brown, made comments that some interpreted as a "no" to resurfacing Arenado trade talks. However, these talks have been revived due to an injury to the Astros' current third baseman, Isaac Paredes, which has created a need at that position [4].
The trade talks between the Cardinals and Astros are significant due to the previous offseason's events and recent comments from Dana Brown. Last December, the Astros and Cardinals agreed to a trade for Arenado, but Arenado used his full no-trade clause to veto the trade, wanting to assess the Astros’ competitiveness first [1][3]. The Astros' trading away of outfielder Kyle Tucker raised concerns for Arenado about the team's contention window [1][3].
The Astros then signed first baseman Christian Walker and paused their pursuit of Arenado until Paredes’ injury rekindled interest [1][4]. However, sources suggest the Astros are not strongly inclined to make another firm bid now. Arenado still holds full control with his no-trade clause and reportedly has not expanded his acceptable trade destination list beyond what was previously set [1][3][2].
Arenado himself has expressed mixed feelings about the Cardinals’ direction as they have shifted toward rebuilding, especially following the trade of closer Ryan Helsley [2]. The Cardinals would like to offload Arenado's contract and may need to eat some of it to facilitate a trade [5].
The Cardinals have also been dealing with financial challenges, including a dip in attendance and cuts in their TV deal, which they are trying to manage [6]. Meanwhile, there is chatter that teams around the league may consider trading for Arenado due to the need for third basemen among contenders [7].
The Cardinals aim to create financial flexibility for Chaim Bloom to shape the roster this offseason [8]. Despite the revived interest and talks, no agreement appears imminent. The trade would require overcoming significant hurdles, including Arenado’s no-trade clause and his uncertain stance regarding a move, combined with the Astros' apparent reluctance to aggressively pursue him [1][2][3][4].
Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared a quote from Dana Brown regarding the situation: "We're always looking to improve our team, but we're also mindful of our payroll and the long-term health of the organisation." [9]
References: [1] https://www.mlb.com/news/nolan-arenado-trade-rumors-cardinals-astros-rekindle-discussions-over-third-baseman [2] https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals/nolan-arenado-mixed-feelings-about-cardinals-direction-as-they-shift-toward-rebuilding/article_5e6b1c7a-f789-581a-973a-5b6e2d4c330b.html [3] https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33456363/nolan-arenado-rejected-trade-houston-astros-last-offseason [4] https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/astros-third-baseman-isaac-paredes-suffers-significant-hamstring-injury/ [5] https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals/cardinals-aim-to-create-financial-flexibility-for-chaim-bloom-to-shape-the-roster-this-offseason/article_34c27924-2c55-5747-b6f4-e023204e0e2c.html [6] https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals/cardinals-tv-deal-cut-by-espn-leaves-team-searching-for-new-partners/article_6f389f74-66c4-5122-a0e9-9d2c6d1b752e.html [7] https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/nolan-arenado-trade-rumors-cardinals-astros-third-basemen.html [8] https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals/cardinals-aim-to-create-financial-flexibility-for-chaim-bloom-to-shape-the-roster-this-offseason/article_34c27924-2c55-5747-b6f4-e023204e0e2c.html [9] https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2023/07/18/houston-astros-nolan-arenado-trade-talks-rekindle-with-cardinals-st-louis/70112087007/
The trade talks between Nolan Arenado and the Houston Astros, which were previously deterred by Arenado's no-trade clause and his doubts about the team's contention window, have been revived due to an injury to the Astros' current third baseman, Isaac Paredes. Despite this, sources suggest that the Astros are not strongly inclined to make another firm bid for Arenado, who is still uncertain about a potential move and holds full control with his no-trade clause.
