The Houston Astros appear to have accepted that they won’t be re-signing their star third baseman, Alex Bregman. Recently, Houston traded Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs and acquired corner infielder Isaac Paredes. While Paredes could be used at first base, the Astros may pursue another major trade to secure a third baseman. The top target in mind seems to be St. Louis Cardinals infielder Nolan Arenado, whom the Cardinals are eager to trade.
The Houston Astros appear to have accepted that they won’t be re-signing their star third baseman, Alex Bregman. Recently, Houston traded Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs and acquired corner infielder Isaac Paredes. While Paredes could be used at first base, the Astros may pursue another major trade to secure a third baseman. The top target in mind seems to be St. Louis Cardinals infielder Nolan Arenado, whom the Cardinals are eager to trade.
Arenado still has $52 million remaining on his contract, and the St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly open to covering a significant portion of that to facilitate a trade. However, Arenado has a no-trade clause and is said to only be willing to waive it for six specific teams, with the Astros not currently on that list. If Arenado reconsiders, which seems increasingly likely, the Astros could make a major trade to acquire him.
Here’s a deal that would bring Arenado to Houston to replace the aforementioned Bregman:
Houston Astros receive: 3B Nolan Arenado, $20 million
St. Louis Cardinals receive: RHP A.J. Blubaugh (No. 10 prospect), RHP Rhett Kouba (No. 25 prospect)
The first step in this potential trade would be getting Arenado to approve the move to the Astros. Given how determined the Cardinals are to move him, it’s likely that Arenado will expand his no-trade list as the offseason progresses. In this scenario, Houston acquires Arenado to replace Bregman, which would help them save a significant amount of money. The Cardinals would include $20 million in the deal, covering about 40% of Arenado’s remaining contract. Instead of committing $200 million to Bregman, the Astros would land Arenado in exchange for two prospects.
For the Cardinals, this trade allows them to shed $32 million of Arenado’s contract while acquiring two promising pitching prospects. Blubaugh, a 24-year-old right-hander, has shown strong potential, performing well in 2024, and looks poised to take another step forward in 2025. Kouba, who had a strong start to his career, struggled significantly in 2024. A change of environment could benefit him, and St. Louis would be getting a solid buy-low prospect in the process.
Leave a Reply