Mariners fans thrilled after Nolan Arenado ruined Astros' offseason trade plans

It has been an offseason filled with rumors for the Seattle Mariners as they have yet to make any major moves before the holiday. The AL West has been a fascinating division to watch this winter as the Athletics have been spending more money than anyone thought and the Houston Astros appear to be making moves focused on the future, highlighted by the trade of star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs.

Seeing Tucker leave the division for the Mariners is a big deal. He has been one of baseball's underrated stars over the past few seasons and now that he is gone and longtime Astros third baseman Alex Bregman is a free agent, the Astros could be a very different team in 2025 than the one we have seen the last decade.

This past week we saw the Astros try to make a deal to improve their roster by trading for a third baseman to fill Bregman's spot, but that third baseman did not want to go to Houston. That third baseman is future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado, who used his no- trade clause power to block the trade.

It's unclear what the St. Louis Cardinals' next steps are, but there's a chance Arenado stays in the NL or heads to the Bronx to play for the Yankees.

Mariners News: Nolan Arenado blocks trade to division-rival Astros

This is good news for the Mariners front office because the 10-time Gold Glove winner will not be stopping every ball hit to third base for the Astros next year. It is refreshing to see the Astros not get their way and be able to add Arenado's talent at third base because of the pedigree he would bring to their infield. The Mariners have been the team missing out on players because they do not want to go to Seattle, so it is nice to see a big name reject the Astros and not want to be a part of that organization.

However, the downside to Arenado rejecting the Astros is that they've pivoted to address other needs. They just signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million contract. Perhaps if the Astros would have gotten Arenado, they would have put him at third base and played Isaac Paredes at first base, who they acquired in the Tucker trade. Now, it looks like they will have Paredes at third base and Walker at first base, barring any other significant changes.

The Astros will likely be a formidable foe for the Mariners to battle against in 2025, as they've been for the past several seasons. But they definitely won't be as dangerous without Arenado or Alex Bregman, who is expected to leave in free agency too. This is a brief win for the Mariners, who need to capitalize in an attempt to make this one hurt more for Houston.