One of the best third basemen in the MLB made headlines on Wednesday. St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado shockingly used his no-trade clause to prevent himself from being traded to the Houston Astros.
Earlier this offseason, Arenado's wish list of trade destinations was revealed, and the Astros weren't on it. Instead, the Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies are destinations that Arenado would be interested in. After playing for a bad Colorado Rockies team for a large chunk of his career and spending this season on a bad Cardinals team, it's understandable why Arenado would want to go to a team that can compete for a championship.
However, that may not be the only reason that Arenado rejected a trade to Houston. It also may have just been too early in the process, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“Per sources: Part of Arenado's decision stemmed from a preference to not make a decision this early in the offseason,” Woo reported on X, formerly Twitter. “It is unclear whether the Astros will continue heavily pursuing Arenado or pivot to other options.”
The Astros could continue trying to swing a deal for Arenado and see if he changes his mind, or they can turn elsewhere. Longtime third baseman Alex Bregman is a free agent this winter, so the Astros are looking for someone to replace him on the hot corner. The Astros also lost a lot of power in the middle of their lineup when they traded star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs earlier this month.
No matter where Arenado ends up, a contender is going to get a quality player who can still get it done both in the field and at the plate. He may not be his prime self that dominated the game in all facets like he was during his time in Colorado, but Arenado is still a 10-time Gold Glove winner who is one of the best hitters of this generation. The 33-year old will be a valuable addition to any team that takes a chance on him.