Nolan Arenado finds ally in Willson Contreras amid Cardinals trade turmoil
It's no secret the St. Louis Cardinals are trying to trade away third baseman Nolan Arenado who has three years, $64 million remaining on his contract. The hefty price and the full no-trade clause in his contract have left St. Louis handicapped when it comes to finding a team.
With Spring Training games already underway, the Cardinals look set to have Arenado as their starting third baseman heading into the 2025 season. More importantly, seeing Arenado back in the camp has brought the smile on his Cards teammates as well.
One such teammate is Willson Contreras, who spoke his mind on the eight-time All-Star in an interview with reporter Tamar Sher. Contreras finds Nolan Arenado's defensive effort as a motivational source to give his best.
"I think it's really important for us to stay in touch with everything in the clubhouse and in the game," Contreras said. "Having Nolan on the other side just pushes me to get better, it pushes me to get a gold patch in my glove, it pushes me to have a good at-bat, and having Nolan on the team means a lot to us. I think we all look up to Nolan—we just love him here."
Details surface on the failed trade talks between Astros and Cardinals for Nolan Arenado
Earlier in the offseason, the Houston Astros wanted to trade for Nolan Arenado from the St. Louis Cardinals. Everything was settled, within "1-yard line" says The Athletic’s Katie Woo, who said Arenado's approval was the only thing left.
However, Arenado was not convinced about the Astros' direction as a team.
“According to multiple industry sources, Arenado was unsure of multiple things, including the timing of the deal and what direction Houston was trending,” Woo said.
“Though the Astros were on his original list of trade destinations, the loss of Tucker and the likely loss of free agent Alex Bregman had caused Arenado to reconsider. He wanted more time, sources described, and while he did not tell the Astros ‘no’ definitively, he also did not want to rush into a decision.”
This led to the Astros pivoting on the idea of trading for Arenado as they ultimately went on to sign first baseman Christian Walker and acquired third baseman Issac Paredes from the Chicago Cubs.
Woo also reported that the financial terms of the deal were favorable to the Cardinals.
“Per multiple sources familiar with the proposed deal, the Cardinals would pay roughly $15 million of Arenado’s salary — around 25 percent of their remaining commitment — over the next three years, well satisfying ownership’s desire to decrease payroll,” Woo added.
At this point of time, a trade for Nolan Arenado isn't happening anytime soon as the Cardinals go into the 2025 season with him at third base.
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