Nolan Arenado, the third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, has notified the Houston Astros that he will not be waiving his no-trade clause in order to join them, as reported by a baseball official to YSL News Sports.

MLB.com first broke the news of Arenado’s decision.

The Cardinals were in discussions with the Astros about a possible trade, but Arenado has declined, expressing his desire to be traded to a team in Southern California, where he resides, or to New York, Boston, or Philadelphia. If none of these options materialize during the winter, he might consider a trade to Houston, especially with free agent Alex Bregman’s future uncertain.

Earlier this offseason, the Cardinals informed the eight-time All-Star that they would try to move him to a competing team this winter, even allowing his agent, Joel Wolfe, to assist in finding a potential trade.

Wolfe stated at the Winter Meetings, “He would think seriously about a trade if it’s to the right team, but he’s not willing to go to just any team. We hope something positive happens, but he won’t relocate his family for a team where he wouldn’t have an advantage.”

“He feels good about his situation with the Cardinals. He won’t leave just for the sake of leaving.”

Arenado, who is set to turn 34 in April, has three years left on his contract, which is valued at $74 million. The Colorado Rockies, his former team, will pay $10 million of this as part of the trade agreement made with the Cardinals in 2021. However, as the Cardinals are planning to ‘reset’ their team before the 2025 season, it’s unlikely that Arenado remains a part of their future plans.

Last season, Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glove recipient, had a batting average of .271 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs, which are his lowest figures since 2014, alongside a career-low slugging percentage of .394.