"Declined Deal: Astros' Trade Offer Turned Down by Cards' Third Baseman Nolan Arenado"
One week after the St. Louis Cardinals declared their plan to trade Nolan Arenado, the All-Star third baseman utilized his no-trade clause to reject a potential deal with the Houston Astros, according to multiple media reports on Wednesday.
According to MLB.com, Arenado is guaranteed $74 million over the next three seasons, and the Cardinals were willing to give the Astros $15 million-$20 million of that amount. However, the chances of a completed deal were considered slim.
The Astros may need to fill a gap at third base as All-Star Alex Bregman is now a free agent. Last week, the Astros also lost another key player, right fielder Kyle Tucker, in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for infielder Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski, and minor league third baseman Cam Smith.
On December 9th, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak stated that trading Arenado "would be a significant help. It's a financial decision, but it also creates an opportunity for someone else... These choices are not made lightly. Arenado is not demanding a trade, but I believe it would be in the best interest of both parties to find him a new team."
Arenado, 33, is an eight-time All-Star and a ten-time Gold Glove winner. He has been in the top eight for NL Most Valuable Player voting six times.
Throughout his career, he has maintained a .285 batting average with a .342 on-base percentage, a .515 slugging percentage, 341 home runs, and 1,132 RBIs in 1,680 games.
