St. Louis Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado exercised his no-trade clause to block a potential trade to the Houston Astros, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday, following an initial report by MLB.com.
Despite this obstacle, the Cardinals and Astros continued discussions about a possible trade involving Arenado, though no agreement appeared close, according to MLB.com.
The Astros’ interest in acquiring Arenado comes shortly after they traded outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. Houston could also face a vacancy at third base with Alex Bregman nearing free agency.
Last season, Houston claimed the American League West title but was eliminated in the wild-card round.
Arenado, 33, is an eight-time All-Star widely regarded as one of the best third basemen in the game, excelling offensively and defensively. He posted a .272 batting average with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs last season for the Cardinals, where he has played for the past four years.
Over his 12-season career, Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, holds a .285 batting average with 341 home runs.
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