Trade interest in Cardinals' Nolan Arenado heating back up as old flame reemerges

If you're a fan of reality televisions shows, which I personally am not, you're probably loving the ultimate "will they or won't they?" saga that Nolan Arenado, the St. Louis Cardinals, and potential suitors have had when it comes to trade talks since the beginning of this past offseason.

Well, in typical Real Housewives or some trendy dating show fashion, an old flame has reemerged as a potential suitor for Arenado, the classic "maybe the timing is finally right" kind of move for both sides.

MLB.com's Jon Morosi just reported that Arenado's name has come up in trade talks between the Cardinals and Houston Astros, and while there is no mometum toward a deal at the moment, this is a signifcant revelation considering how things went down between Arenado and the Astros in the offseason, and recent comments seeming to pour cold water on the situation by Astros general manager Dana Brown.

The Houston Astros seem to have revived their trade interest in Cardinals' Nolan Arenado.

For those of you who don't know, the Cardinals came to an agreement with the Houston Astros on a trade for Arenado this past offseason, but Arenado rejected the trade at that time, not saying he was for sure not interested, but wishing to see how the rest of the offseason played out first. The deal was agreed to on the heels of the Astros trading away outfielder Kyle Tucker, giving Arenado pause about their standing as a contender heading into 2025.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared a recent quote from Brown regarding the situation, one that many took as a "no" when it comes to resurfacing Arenado trade talks.

"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."

The Astros quickly pivoted to signing first baseman Christian Walker, effectively ending any pursuit of Arenado. Well, their third baseman, Isaac Paredes, went down with a significant hamstring injury not too long ago, putting the Astros right back into the third base market at this trade deadline.

It's been a rough year for Arenado at the plate, slashing .235/.295/.368 with just 10 home runs in 94 games, posting an 85 wRC+ and looking nothing like his old self at the plate.

Things have gone particularly bad in July, where Arenado is slashing .163/.226/.204, which amounts to a 24 wRC+ that shrinks even further down to a 14 wRC+ since the second half began. Arenado has been battling multiple ailments as of late, which likely plays into just how bad things are, but overall, he has been in regression offensively for quite some time.

There has been chatter as of late that teams around the league may pivot to Arenado with so many contenders looking to add a third baseman, with MLB.com's Mark Feinsand mentioning the likes of the Cubs, Phillies, Mariners, Tigers, Reds, Brewers, and, of course, the Astros, as potential fits.

The Cardinals would love to offload Arenado's contract, and while they'll likely need to eat some of it, their main goal will be getting rid of as much money off their books as they can. With a major dip in attendance this year, the club is trying to manage decreased revenues there alongside the cut they got in their TV deal, as well as create flexibility for Chaim Bloom to shape the roster how he sees fit this offseason, without being handcuffed by prior deals made by Mozeliak.