There’s an alternate universe where the Houston Astros added Nolan Arenado to the team’s lineup in the offseason. Arenado just did not let it happen in this one.
The Astros had a trade in place for Arenado in December. But despite Houston seemingly being an ideal fit for the eight-time All-Star on paper, Arenado opted to exercise his no-trade clause to nix the deal.
On Monday, the Cardinals hosted the Astros to begin a three-game series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. Arenado spoke to reporters about his decision to reject the proposed move to Houston.
While Nolan praised the Astros and what they’ve been able to do over the past decade, he admittedly questioned if that success would continue going forward. He cited the team’s decision to trade All-Star slugger Kyle Tucker as a potential cause for concern.
“[Kyle Tucker] is one of the best players in the game,” said Arenado, via The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. “When you see a team trade him, 99 out of 100 players would probably be wondering, ‘What does that mean?’ That’s the question I asked myself. And obviously if I went there, [Alex] Bregman wouldn’t have been going there — that’s another player.”
Aside from shipping Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, the Astros also lost Alex Bregman to the Boston Red Sox in free agency. Arenado was seen as a potential replacement for Bregman at third base.
Arenado cleared up that he was not 100% opposed to waiving his no-trade clause for the Astros. But he had wanted to “see how this all plays out first” in terms of what moves Houston would make to improve their team. The fact that the team was looking to acquire him at all to replace the beloved Bregman was reportedly not an encouraging sign for Arenado.
The Astros eventually signed a different infielder to a three-year deal worth $60 million, a shade more than what Houston would have had to pay Arenado.
