Big-name third baseman reportedly nixed trade that would have sent him to A’s
The Athletics had a deal in place to bring a star third baseman to West Sacramento, but he nixed it.
Eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado, who was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this month, used his no-trade clause to decline a deal that would have sent him to the A’s, according to a report from The Athletic.
Ken Rosenthal reported the A’s and Cardinals agreed to a trade, while the A’s were willing to take on more of Arenado’s contract than Arizona, who will pay $11 million of the $42 million he’s due over the next two seasons.
“But Arenado indicated he would not necessarily approve a trade to the A’s, a person familiar with his thinking said. He preferred the Diamondbacks or Padres,” Rosenthal wrote.
The A’s bringing in the 34-year-old would have been an aggressive move for a club that’s attempting to win now ahead of its planned move to a new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028. The A’s made a similar acquisition this winter in trading for former batting champion Jeff McNeil to play second base after the team got a collective .199 batting average and .550 OPS from the position in 2025.
Things weren’t much better for the A’s at third base, where Gio Urshela, Brett Harris and others combined for just 10 home runs and 57 RBIs. Max Muncy, a rookie in 2025, hit .214/.259/.379 with nine home runs and 23 RBI in 63 games last season — and appears to be the team’s top internal option at the position.
Arenado saw a significant drop-off in production with the Cardinals last season as he dealt with a right shoulder strain late last summer that caused him to miss roughly six weeks. He posted a career-low .666 OPS while missing out on the All-Star game for the second straight season after making it eight of the previous nine.
Arenado could have picked the Diamondbacks over the A’s for any number of reasons, despite the A’s having a promising young core that hopes to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Arizona is two seasons removed from a World Series run in 2023, has significantly lower state income tax and plays in a Major League stadium.
The A’s are slated to play in their temporary, minor-league-ballpark home, Sutter Health Park, for the next two seasons.
