Astros close the door on Cardinals' corner infielders with Christian Walker signing

The Houston Astros did not take long to bounce back from rejections, do they?

Just days after St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman Nolan Arenado blocked a proposed trade to the Astros, the club pivoted back to the free agent market and signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million deal. While reports indicated that Arenado could approve of a trade to Houston at a later date this offseason, the Astros decided to lock in one of the best right-handed bats on the open market instead.

Not only does this cross of a potential suitor for Areando, but Houston was also a team closely linked to former Cardinals' first baseman Paul Goldschmidt in free agency as well. Goldschmidt, who was replaced by Walker in Arizona after being traded to St. Louis prior to the 2019 season, is from the Houston area and seemed like a natural fit for the American League West powerhouse.

While technically a trade for Arenado or a signing of Paul Goldschmidt has not been ruled out, it appears to be about as unlikely of a destination as possible now. The Astros just acquired Isaac Parades to play third base for them in the Kyle Tucker trade, so unless the club wants to move Yordan Alvarez to the outfield and open up the DH spot for an Arenado or Goldschmidt, there is no longer a fit there.

Still, both former perennial All-Stars appear to have other suitors interested in them. Teams like the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Arizona Diamondbacks have all been reported by various outlets as having some level of interest in Goldschmidt. While Arenado's market is still taking shape, clubs like the Yankees and Mets along with the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels, and to a lesser extent the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers could all be landing spots for him.

With Christmas right around the corner, my guess is that we likely won't see an Arenado trade until after the New Year, barring something manifesting itself in the next day or so. Given his reasoning of wanting to see what other options may be out there, I doubt that will be the case, and we'll also likely need to see Alex Bregman sign somewhere before Arenado's trade market really heats up.

As for Goldschmidt, it remains unclear what his timetable for a deal could look like and where exactly he wants to play. A return to Arizona makes a ton of sense to me, and that's probably where I'd predict him going as of now. If his top desire is to win a World Series though, the Mets or Yankees may be the best possible suitors currently linked to him.

What is clear to us right now is that Goldschmidt will not be a Cardinal in 2025, and the likelihood of Arenado remaining is slim to none as well. Both players reached some incredible heights individually as players while with the Cardinals, specifically during the 2022 season, but both will leave the organization with relatively little postseason success. Goldschmidt did make an NLCS appearance with the Cardinals in 2019, but outside of that Arenado and Goldschmidt both did not win a single playoff game while playing together in St. Louis.

Both will be looking to change that narrative with their new destinations, wherever that may be.