John Mozeliak and the St. Louis Cardinals were actively trying to trade eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado this past offseason, with Mozeliak calling it “priority one, two, and three.”
Although no agreement was ultimately reached, the Cardinals came very close to finalizing a deal with the Houston Astros. League sources described the trade as being “on the one-yard line.”
However, Arenado turned down the move to Houston due to concerns about the team’s direction, especially with third baseman Alex Bregman expected to leave in free agency—a move that later materialized when Bregman signed with the Boston Red Sox, one of Arenado’s other suitors. Arenado reportedly wasn’t convinced the Astros would be more competitive than the Cardinals without Bregman, leading Houston to shift its focus to acquiring first baseman Christian Walker, effectively ending talks for Arenado.
Arenado’s six-team approved trade list includes franchises like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees. One of those other teams is also believed to have reached a trade agreement for him, though the deal didn’t come to fruition.
According to reports, Nolan Arenado declined trades to both the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels this past offseason.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the St. Louis Cardinals haven’t received any trade interest in Nolan Arenado so far this season. While that’s notable in itself, the real eye-opener from Nightengale’s report is the revelation that Arenado also turned down a trade to the Los Angeles Angels this past offseason—something that hadn’t previously been reported.
Nightengale wrote: “The St. Louis Cardinals are not receiving any interest in third baseman Nolan Arenado after he rejected trades this winter to the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels.”
Most fans and reporters were already aware of Arenado declining a trade to Houston, but the part about the Angels seems to have flown under the radar until now. There were no public reports during the offseason indicating that a deal with Los Angeles was close or even on the table, making this new information particularly surprising given how deep we are into the regular season.
From the Angels’ perspective, a move for Arenado would have made sense. With Anthony Rendon’s ongoing injury problems and the lack of reliable depth behind him, the Angels were left scrambling. They eventually signed Yoán Moncada, who’s been solid but limited in action, while Luis Rengifo—primarily filling in at third—has struggled with just a 49 wRC+ in 23 games. With Mike Trout again dealing with injuries and the team’s competitive window shrinking, it’s clear why Arenado wouldn’t see Anaheim as a more appealing destination than St. Louis.
Still, it’s odd that such a significant trade rejection would only come to light now. Whether it was a quiet negotiation or a deal that never progressed far enough to leak, the news adds a new wrinkle to Arenado’s future and his level of interest in relocating—especially to struggling franchises like the Angels.
