ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - For over the last week, there were rumors of Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado potentially getting traded this offseason to the Houston Astros.
Now a potential trade of Arenado to the Astros appears to be over at the moment, with Arenado reportedly using his no-trade clause to block a potential trade to the Houston Astros, according to MLB.com reporters Mark Feinsand, John Denton and Brian McTaggart.
According to Feinsand, Denton and McTaggart, there were still "ongoing talks" between the Cardinals and Astros prior to Arenado blocking the trade, with the Cardinals were willing to send $15-20 million to Astros as part of the deal.
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, part of Arenado's decision stems from a preference to not make a decision at a time in the offseason where it is still considered early.
Arenado, an eight-time All Star who has spent the last four seasons with the Cardinals, is set to earn $74 million over the next three years, with the Rockies on the hook for $10 million while $12 million of the deal is differed.
Over the previous few days, KMOX has had on Cardinals writer Derrick Goold and Houston Sports Radio Host Patrick Creighton on the airwaves to give their thoughts on a potential Arenado trade to the Astros.
On Tuesday Goold joined Tom Ackerman and Kevin Wheeler on 'The Gashouse Gang' and he still thought there was a chance Arenado remained a Cardinals heading into 2025 and it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Arenado would head to Jupiter, Florida, for 2025 Spring Training with the Cardinals.
Later on, on Sports Open Line, Houston sports radio host Patrick Creighton thought a potential trade of Arenado the Astros 'didn't make sense' from the Astros standpoint due to a variety of factors, including the Astros recently acquiring Cam Smith and Issac Paredes from the Cubs in a trade that sent Kyle Tucker to Chicago, and the Astros' history over the last seven years of letting players walk.
Both Woo and her Athletic colleague Chandler Rome note that Arenado's decision is not final, and it is unclear if the Astros will continue to heavily pursue Arenado or pivot to other options.