Astros GM calls out Cardinals' Nolan Arenado for offseason trade veto

In the offseason, the Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a deal that would bring Nolan Arenado to Houston. The 10-time Gold Glove and six-time Platinum Glove winner would've been an Astro.

But Arenado invoked his no-trade clause, vetoing the deal, and remaining in St. Louis. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Astros, despite their interest in adding a third baseman, won't pursue Arenado.

Nightengale also shared comments from Astros general manager Dana Brown on their pursuit of Arenado in the offseason. With the veto, Brown took a shot at Arenado and aimed his understanding of where the AStros were as a team.

"We tried to convince him that we're not rebuilding, that the window is always open with our owner," Brown said. "We planned to compete in 2025 and beyond. He misunderstood our plan."

Brown revealed the team tried to convince Arenado to come to Houston, as he had the final say with his no-trade clause. But Arenado vetoed the deal and decided to stay in St. Louis. 

Arenado vetoed the deal for one reason: he didn't view the Astros as contenders this season. Nightengale writes, "... the Astros had permission to speak to Arenado, but they couldn't convince him they were still going to contend this year."

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On July 27th, the Astros are in second place in the AL, while the Cardinals are 2.5 games out of the final NL wild card spot, and likely to be sellers at the trade deadline.

Brown and the Astros are looking to add a third baseman, but Nightengale reports it won't be Arenado. An unsurprising decision based on these comments from Brown about the Arenado offseason trade veto.

The Cardinals' third baseman, who's potentially on his way to the Baseball Hall of Fame, didn't come to Houston because he didn't view the team as serious contenders.

But, based on the team's performance this season, even with all the injuries, it's hard to see Houston as anything other than a top contender this season.

Brown's comments aren't a strong call-out of Arenado, but rather a slight dig at him for not believing in the team's ability to compete this season. 

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