Astros Writer Calls Nolan Arenado's No-Trade Clause 'A Blessing'

The St. Louis Cardinals tried all offseason long to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado. They were hoping to clear salary space by trading their All-Star third baseman and also add a little bit of young talent in exchange.

They had agreed on a deal with the Houston Astros, but after they had traded Kyle Tucker, Arenado used his no-trade clause to reject the deal. As such, Arenado remains in St. Louis.

Arenado's bat isn't what it used to be, but his defense is still top-notch.

On Thursday, Drew Koch of Climbing Tal's Hill stated that this failed trade ended up working out fine for the Astros.

"The Houston Astros were in deep negotiations with the St. Louis Cardinals this past offseason and have every intention of trading for eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado. But Arenado turned his nose up to the Astros and exercised the no-trade clause in his contract, preferring to remain in St. Louis. Things couldn't have worked out better for the Astros.," Koch wrote.

"Through the first one-third of the 2025 season, it looks like Houston made the right decision."

Houston opted to stick with Isaac Paredes at third base, who they had just acquired from the Chicago Cubs, and that has worked out well for them.

This failed deal also has worked out well for the Cardinals. Despite Arenado's bat declining, they still have one of the top defensive third basemen of all time. Without him at third base, the Cardinals wouldn't be as strong of a team defensively.