Cardinals not gaining traction on Nolan Arenado trade talks

With the MLB trade deadline almost 24 hours away, the St. Louis Cardinals have been fielding offers for a few of their players. The teams' relievers, Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, Steven Matz, and JoJo Romero, are all receiving interest from around the league.

But, despite the Cardinals listening to calls and even making calls to try and trade him, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic, they haven't gained traction on a deal for Nolan Arenado.

"St. Louis continues to make calls on Nolan Arenado," Woo writes, "but no substantial traction has formed."

After attempting to trade him in the offseason, the Cardinals are looking to move on from him once more. Arenado is one of the top third basemen available at the deadline, and he has been linked to a few teams ahead of the deadline.

But this report from Woo suggests that even though teams might be interested, no trade talks are gaining traction. As the deadline approaches, the Cardinals are running out of time to potentially trade Arenado.

MORE: Ryan Helsley open to re-signing with Cardinals in free agency amid trade rumors

There are two reasons why a trade might be difficult to execute for the Cardinals. The first is Arenado's full no-trade clause. In the offseason, he used it to veto a deal with the Houston Astros. That could scare some teams away from trying to trade for the Cardinals' third baseman.

The other issue affecting the Arenado trade negotiations is that he's struggled a lot this season at the plate. He has a .235 batting average and a .662 OPS, the lowest of his career.

While he's struggled offensively, he's still a good defender. But teams are vying for Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who's the prized possession at the deadline. Suarez has 36 home runs and leads the Majors in RBIs with 86. 

If Suarez is dealt, the teams that missed on him will potentially flock to the Cardinals to see how Arenado's market takes shape. But, with the Cardinals' 10-time Gold Glover being second-fiddle on the market, there's little traction for a deal at the moment.

Once Suarez is dealt, then the Cardinals' trade market will be one to watch. But, as Woo reports, for now, the Arenado trade talks aren't going anywhere. St. Louis is looking to trade Arenado, but a little over 24 hours from the deadline, nothing is close.

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