Report: Cardinals' Arenado blocks trade to Astros

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado used his no-trade clause to block a trade to the Houston Astros, sources told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, Brian McTaggart, and John Denton.

The Cardinals were willing to send $15 million to $20 million to Houston to help pay some of the remaining $74 million left on Arenado's contract, sources told Feinsand, McTaggart, and Denton.

The Astros recently emerged as a serious suitor to acquire Arenado after trading Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. Houston acquired infielder Isaac Paredes in the Tucker trade, and he's capable of playing either first or third base.

The Cardinals and Astros continue to have dialogue regarding Arenado, but a source told Feinsand, McTaggart, and Denton that Houston isn't confident a trade will be completed.

The 33-year-old nixed the deal because he wants to see how the third-base market plays out and didn't want to make a decision on his future without thinking it over more, sources told Katie Woo of The Athletic.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak didn't see the development coming as the deal was considered to be "on the 1-yard line," a source told Woo.

However, Arenado is reportedly keen on observing what happens with top free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman. The former was also thrown off by the Tucker trade, according to Woo.

Arenado reportedly wants to play for a club that plans to contend for years.

The eight-time All-Star hit .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs, 23 doubles, and 71 RBIs across 152 games in a down year with the bat in 2024. The 10-time Gold Glover continues to rank among the game's best defenders at third base, finishing the 2024 campaign in the 95th percentile in Baseball Savant's outs above average.

The Astros have also shown interest in bringing back Bregman and reportedly offered him a six-year, $156-million contract. Bregman is apparently looking for a deal closer to the $200-million mark.