4:03PM: While that Mozeliak initially declined to comment on any potential new trade talks or the possibility of Arenado approving a deal (as noted by Denton), he later told reporters (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that he “does not feel like anything is imminent” regarding Arenado and that nothing has changed since the veteran third baseman reported to camp.
1:16PM: Nolan Arenado used his no-trade clause to veto a proposed trade to the Astros back in December, which seemingly ended the third baseman’s chances of going to Houston once the Astros pivoted to then add Christian Walker to their infield mix. However, just as it seemed the Cardinals’ chances of dealing Arenado this offseason had run out, St. Louis and Houston have re-engaged on a new set of talks on an Arenado trade, according to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Mark Feinsand, and John Denton.
It would be quite a wild conclusion to one of the offseason’s top storylines if Arenado ended up in an Astros uniform after all, yet Houston’s increased willingness to move Jose Altuve from second base to left field may have created an opening for these fresh negotiations between the Astros and Cardinals. Arenado would take over from Isaac Paredes at third base, with Paredes then moving to Altuve’s old spot at second base. Reports of Altuve’s willingness to play left field emerged when the Astros were exploring the idea of re-signing Alex Bregman, and Altuve has been hard at work doing outfield drills in the early stages of Spring Training.
Astros manager Joe Espada has yet to make any firm statements about Altuve’s readiness as a left fielder, as Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle) that it will still be another week before Altuve lines up in the outfield during spring game action. Still, it could be a sign of the Astros’ comfort level in Altuve’s outfield capability that the team is again looking into the possibility of an Arenado deal.
The ball is ultimately in Arenado’s court due to his no-trade protection, yet Houston was one of the five teams that Arenado told the Cardinals front office he was open to joining. The fact that Arenado rejected the earlier trade to Houston seems to have been just a matter of timing, as the offer apparently came just after the Astros dealt Kyle Tucker to the Cubs, and Arenado wanted a bit more time to evaluate the situation. Rather than continue to wait out Arenado’s decision, the Astros instead went out and signed Walker to a three-year, $60MM deal, which seemed to reinforce Walker and Paredes as the team’s new corner infield combo.
Houston was willing to disrupt that new status quo if it meant re-signing its longtime third baseman in Bregman, however, and the same could be true here if the Astros and Cardinals can find common ground on a trade, and if Arenado this time green-lights the proceedings. By the same measure, the Astros were willing to stretch their budget to accommodate Bregman’s return, and the same would have to be true if Arenado’s contract is acquired. Arenado is owed $74MM over the next three seasons, though that number is really $60MM when factoring in deferrals and the $10MM covered by the Rockies as per the terms of the original trade that sent Arenado from Colorado to St. Louis in the 2020-21 offseason.
In the previous trade offer, the Astros would have taken on $40MM-$45MM of Arenado’s still-owed salary, with the Cards eating the rest. It isn’t known if any type of significant prospects might have been included as well, but it could be that Houston was offering just a minimal player return since the Cardinals’ top priority was moving as much of Arenado’s salary as possible off the team’s books. Speculatively speaking, the Astros could be looking to still land Arenado but with the Cardinals absorbing a larger portion of the salary, perhaps leveraging the fact that the Cards are short on alternative options if they want to move Arenado at all.
Trading Arenado and gaining this salary relief has been the chief goal of the St. Louis offseason, yet Arenado’s limited list of suitors left president of baseball operations John Mozeliak without much of a plan B after the Astros trade was nixed. The Red Sox were another team on Arenado’s approval list, but their third base need was met when Boston signed Bregman. As the Cards’ spring camp opened, both Mozeliak and Arenado indicated that a trade now seemed unlikely and Arenado was probably going to start the season in St. Louis, so these late talks with Houston could be a Hail Mary development for both teams.