St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado was the subject of trade rumors this offseason as the team looked ahead to retooling for 2025, while the veteran All-Star sought to join a contender. Although the Cardinals and Houston Astros initially agreed on a trade, Arenado exercised his no-trade clause to block the move. Now, with spring training in progress, discussions have resurfaced.
Arenado, who turns 34 in April, preferred to be traded to the Boston Red Sox or Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the Red Sox addressed their infield needs by signing Alex Bregman, while the Dodgers allocated their budget to multiple signings, including Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki. As a result, the number of teams Arenado was willing to join shrank. He also reportedly vetoed trades with several other unidentified teams. The teams he would approve a trade to include the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Despite Arenado rejecting a trade once before, Houston recently reopened trade talks with St. Louis for the Gold Glove-winning third baseman. If acquired, he would allow Jose Altuve to transition permanently to left field. However, as reported by The Athletics’ Chandler Rome and Katie Woo, discussions between the teams stalled because Arenado remains unwilling to play for Houston.
With the Padres reluctant to take on more payroll and the Mets prioritizing internal options, Arenado’s trade possibilities are limited. While there were early offseason rumors of the Phillies seeking a third-base upgrade, they have opted to stick with Alec Bohm.
Unless Arenado expands his list of preferred trade destinations, he will likely remain with the Cardinals, a team not expected to contend in 2025. Additionally, if his performance declines, fewer teams may show interest in acquiring him.
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