The Houston Astros have apparently made it clear that they will not re-sign the franchise’s third baseman Alex Bregman. Houston recently acquired corner infielder Isaac Paredes as part of a trade that sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs.

But Houston could use Paredes at first base while also making another blockbuster trade to acquire a third baseman. The first name that comes to mind is St. Louis Cardinals infielder Nolan Arenado, who the Cardinals are desperately trying to trade.

Arenado has $52 million left on his contract and St. Louis is reportedly willing to buy out a good portion of the deal to trade him. But he also has a no-trade clause and the Astros are not among the six teams he would reportedly waive his no-trade clause for.

If Arenado changes his mind, which seems to be our target, the Astros could pull off a blockbuster trade to get him.

Here’s a deal that would bring Arenado to Houston to replace the aforementioned Bregman:

• Houston Astros receive: 3B Nolan Arenado, $20 million
• St. Louis Cardinals receive: RHP AJ Blubaugh (No. 10 prospect), RHP Rhett Kouba (No. 25 prospect)

The first step in this deal would be to get Arenado to agree to be traded to the Astros. With the Cardinals trying to shut him down so aggressively, Arenado will likely expand his roster over the course of the offseason.

In this deal, Houston hires Arenado to replace Bregman, which would save them a ton of money. St. Louis is sending $20 million in the deal, which will pay about 40 percent of his remaining contract. Instead of spending $200 million on Bregman, they acquired Arenado for two prospects.

For the Cardinals, they are giving up $32 million of Arenado’s contract while also bringing in two pitching prospects. Blubaugh is a 24-year-old young player with great potential. He was solid in 2024 and the right-hander is looking to take another step forward in 2025. Kouba had a great first three years of his career, but took a huge step backwards in 2024. A change of scenery would be good for him and St. Louis would get a great purchase price.

More MLB: Yankees land perfect replacement for Anthony Rizzo in blockbuster trade pitch