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By Jon Vankin
Contributing Sports Writer
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One of the biggest stories of last year's MLB offseason was the stunning failure of the St. Louis Cardinals' attempt to trade 13-year veteran eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals attempted to ship the then 33-year-old and his eight-year, $260 million contract to the Houston Astros.
But Arenado invoked the no-trade clause in his contract to block the deal.
As last offseason went on, Arenado was also linked to trades that would have sent him to the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. But nothing materialized.
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But this time around, with just two years and $31 million remaining on his contract, and with the 353-career home run hitter — eighth among all active players — seemingly winding down his career, Arenado is reportedly more amenable to a move out of St. Louis.
According to recent reports cited by Charlie Wright of MLB Trade Rumors, Arenado may be on the move to a surprising club that had not previously been in the picture when it came to trade talk swirling around the 13-year veteran: the Los Angeles Angels.
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After the Angels and their discontented and often-injured third baseman Anthony Rendon reportedly agreed to a buyout of his contract earlier this week, the position is now open for a major acquisition such as Arenado — a "possibility" cited by longtime MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, writing for The Athletic. Rosenthal added, however, that "no trade is imminent."
On Monday, The Athletic writers Will Sammon and Katie Woo also reported that the Angels "have interest" in trading for Arenado.
"Despite the falloff at the plate, Arenado remains an above-average fielder and a solid contact hitter. If the cost is cheap enough, he could help an Angels team with an unsettled situation at the hot corner," Wright wrote on Wednesday, adding that the Angels third-base position ranked in the bottom 10 in OPS in each of the last five seasons.
Finishing at 72-90, in last place in the American League West, the Angels divided third-base duties between 10-year veteran Yoan Moncada and seven-year veteran Luis Rengifo, who divided 152 appearances there between them. But both players are now free agents.
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