While the Astros have been intent on trying to re-sign Alex Bregman this offseason, the club landed a potential third base backup option in Isaac Paredes, and is now looking at an even bigger option at the hot corner. The Athletic’s Chandler Rome reports that Houston has “emerged as a serious suitor for” Nolan Arenado’s services, though a trade isn’t “believed to be imminent.”
Since the Cardinals are looking to create more playing time for younger players and reduce payroll, the club has been open about its attempts to trade Arenado this offseason. The third baseman has a full no-trade clause but is open to waiving it in the right situation, as agent Joel Wolfe stressed that Arenado is only willing to leave St. Louis for “a team that he thinks is going to win now and consistently for the remainder of his career. He wants a team that has the throttle down….that he believes he can jump right in and they’re going to win right now.”
The Astros would seemingly fit that description as longtime playoff regulars who are trying to keep their contention window, but it is unclear if Arenado would have interest in going to Houston. The Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Phillies, Mets, and Red Sox are the six teams Arenado would reportedly be willing to play for, but it isn’t known if any clubs beyond this group would also meet his approval for a waiver of his no-trade privileges.
Beyond the no-trade clause, the Astros and Cardinals also have to work out the terms of the actual deal, and finances could present an obstacle. Rome writes that “the Astros will ask the Cardinals to help pay down” the $74MM owed to Arenado over the final three years of his contract. (Only $64MM is technically the Cards’ responsibility, as the Rockies are covering $10MM of that figure as per the term of the 2021 trade that brought Arenado from Colorado to St. Louis.) Whether or not the Cardinals are willing to cover any of Arenado’s salary is an open question, and if so, it’ll be a matter of whether they can match figures with the Astros or any other suitor, or if St. Louis is willing to take on an unwanted contract as salary offset.
Some additional baggage might stand in a way of an Astros/Cardinals trade in particular. Former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa was found guilty in federal court over charges of illegally accessing the Astros’ proprietary baseball operations database in 2013 and 2014, and MLB punished the Cardinals by forcing them to give $2MM and their top picks in the 2017 draft to the Astros as punishment. Though Houston’s front office has since been overhauled and Chaim Bloom is set to replace John Mozeliak next year as the Cards’ next president of baseball operations, the two teams haven’t completed a trade with other since 2012, hinting at some lingering bad blood.
Astros GM Dana Brown said yesterday that the team’s decision to trade Kyle Tucker (and get Paredes back in the trade package from the Cubs) didn’t indicate that anything changed in Houston’s pursuit of a reunion with Bregman. KPRC’s Ari Alexander also hears from a source that the Astros remain among “the strong four” top contenders for Bregman along with the Red Sox, Mets, and Yankees, with the Tigers and Blue Jays also linked to Bregman’s market.
Technically, a scenario exists where Houston could re-sign Bregman, install Arenado at first base, and then have Paredes at DH whenever Yordan Alvarez is in left field. But, more realistically, trading for Arenado would surely close the door on the chances of a reunion between Bregman and the Astros. Reports have indicated that Houston has offered Bregman a six-year, $156MM contract, but if he and his camp have indicated that a larger outlay is necessary, that might explain why the Astros now have given more attention to Arenado since the end of Winter Meetings. With at least the Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox in on both third basemen, it make sense that the Astros would also explore both options out of due diligence.
They are serious…and don’t call them Shirley.
Joey, have you ever been in a… in a Turkish prison?
You ever seen a grown man naked?
Vector, Victor
Roger, Rodger
Overrated movie. Guess that’s not my sense of humor because it took me a dozen years to get used to Leslie Nielsen as a comedic actor.
Erico Palazzo
Greatest umpire of all time.
Nah, that would have to be Robert DeNiro in “The Fan”. Now, that was funny!
This man has to be gotten to a hospital.
A hospital, doctor what is it?
It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.
Still the funniest movie of all time.
I just don’t understand these teams
I understand putting paredes at first and arenado at third all for a year of Tucker and basically nothing for Nolan
That covers it pretty well. I’d add that they should still have the dough/pieces to get an outfielder as well.
Paredes might be a Cardinal in this scenario.
Why would the Astros trade either their starting 3rd baseman or starting 1st baseman?
They could (should) be able to have both on the same roster since arenado won’t cost anything except a huge contract
I wouldn’t bet on that happening. Paredes profiles extremely well at Minute Maid.
Stocking up on third baseman- Nolan cant play first
Nor should he
Paredes can though.
There are so many cheap RH 1B bats they can add for so much less.
a team that he thinks is going to win now and consistently for the remainder of his career. He wants a team that has the throttle down….that he believes he can jump right in and they’re going to win right now.”
Don’t think angels fit
Agreed. Looks like he has a southern california bias
He should be begging to come to the Mets then
No thanks.
108 OPS+ 2023
101 OPS+ 2024
The Cardinals gonna take back Paredes?
This doesn’t make any sense
Why not? He’s much cheaper and under 30.
Why would the Astros do that? If they had money to spend they could have just signed Bregman. Paredes to the Cardinals sounds interesting i just don’t understand why the Astros would do this.
Playing for the Astros might reinvigorate Arenado. Astros are still a good team, and I think he’d do well in that ballpark. I really think Arenado is one of those guys that plays better with a competitive team.
If he played better, they would have been very competitive.
Houston is a fourth place team in the west without Tucker and Bregman. Paredes and Arenado aren’t going to change that. They are waving the flag.
Astros might be a fourth place team without those pieces, but they are in the AL West. The state of Texas is the AL west right now. Nothing else is a significant threat. Seattle is always trash, the A’s have to catch lightning in a bottle, and the Angels are in a pit.
The A’s are on the way up and I believe they will surprise next year. Seattle is a few bats short but they will hang in the race with their pitching. The Angels are a mess.
Disagree. Still ahead of the angels anf a’s. And texas and seattle have alot of flaws thst have gone unaddressed at this time. Astros still competitive and the gap between the teams has shrunk
Why did they get Paredes
Paredes can play 1B, so he can fill that hole if this Arenado trade does become a reality.
Or – go to St. Louis
Paredes to the cards would work because ok f the pay roll
Makes no sense. The Cards are a mess, crying poor, bad farm system and an over the hill big league roster. No chance HOU is gonna let Tucker go and possible Bregman to bring in Arenado. Someone from the Cards leaked this garbage. Mo is desperate.
While I’ll say they are sort of a mess and who really knows about their money, who is over the hill? Nolan won’t be a Cardinal in 25 so we can eliminate him. Mats and Mikolas will both be gone after this year (if not sooner). Even with Goldschmidt, Carpenter, and Nolan last year they still had an average age of 27
Slider, did you have a religious conversion? You have been on your best behavior the past year.
Trading for him better idea then giving Bregman the crazy contract he wants, particularly if get Cards to pay $5 million a year. Plus Arenado a much nicer person than ahole Bregman.
Is Bregman an a-hole? Do you know him personally? Or just because he played for the Trashtros?
Arenado will only go to the Dodgers. This Houston nonsense along with the Angels blah blah is just hype to get the Dodgers up their meager offer. They will only take him if the Cardinals kick in serious money or take Chris Taylor and his garbage contract, which they won’t do.
Arenado and “nice guy” don’t often appear in the same sentence. He’s super intense, self-obsessed, and tends to sulk.
I still laugh at the wanting to play for a contender line being followed by “willing to play for the Angels.”
My vision sucks I read it as angels serious about arenado
That throttle down comment eliminates the Reds.
I like watching Arenado play third base. What a talented defensive player.
As long as it ain’t Dodgers, think Arenado has seen his best days.
Why so serious, son?
Shaping up to be quite a nice tank job down there in houston
Don’t look at Paredes’ expected park factors at Statcast.
Cam Smith helps their farm system, but not by much. They’re probably due for another tank job to restock the depleted farm.
As long as Alvarez and Altuve are there they can win. People still sleeping on those boys
If prior reporting is to believed, Arenado is only willing to waive his no trade for 6 teams and Houston is not one of the 6. Mo was a rule maker when he landed Goldy and Arenado when their teams gave them away. Looks like Mo is finding out what it’s like to be a rule taker in a trade this time around.
As a Mariner’s fan, I’d like to get Arenado if they eat the money and the price is reasonable.
Also as a Mariners fan, I’d much rather the Astros have Arenado than Bregman & Tucker!
Saying that not making a trade with each other since 2012 is a hint at bad blood seems like a stretch to me.
I would guess there are other teams that havent completed a trade with one another in that same timeframe or longer.
Arenado will spread Covid to his new team so I hope it’s the Mets.
This indicates more that the Astros want Bregman back and are trying to reduce his price.
All these moves are ruining Dave Dombrowski’s vacation. He is trying to get some rest meanwhile he keeps getting MLB notifications on his phone.
No way this is true. Why would they shed the salary of one of MLB’s best players to take on a higher salary for a washed up 3B? My take is that they are using this to pressure Bregman to accept their latest offer (“we need you to decide now or else we need to move on to other options.”). They have zero interest in Arenado.
He’s going to the Yankees says my magic 8-ball
Please take him. Get him out of the nl central.
I dont this will come to fruition. First arenado is expensive and the cards wont pay down his salary that much. Second, they can bring in a cheaper 1b and keep paredes at 3b. Third, i dont think he waives the no trade clause for an organization woth budget restraints. I do think arenado would bounce back some with his bat, i just dont think it makes sense financially if yhey are operating on such a limited budget
I don’t like this if I’m a Astros fan. I want Tucker, I want bregman, don’t bring me an old has been with a massive contract.
I really don’t understand the Astros plan. Either they’re in rebuild mode by trading Tucker or they just want to be a worse team for some reason…If I’m an Astros fan, I’m extremely frustrated, but as a person who hopes for a Mariners world series title one day, which is about as possible as pigs one day being able to fly, I love watching Dana Brown and Jim Crane ruin this once fine and competent organization.
Huston may be the only team which has “emerged as a serious suitor for” Nolan Arenado’s services, Why would they want a high paid third baseman who is in the declining years of his career. I’ll take Bregman.