The Cardinals were on the verge of trading Arenado, their top offseason goal, and they’d not only pulled off a deal, they’d matched with one of the teams on the eight-time All-Star’s short and semi-problematic five-team list of acceptable destinations.

The Houston Astros came close to completing a trade for Nolan Arenado in December before the St. Louis Cardinals star "balked" at the proposal, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo. One source told Woo the Cardinals had come as close as "the 1-yard line" before Arenado turned the trade down.

Nolan Arenado remains with the St. Louis Cardinals despite extensive offseason trade discussions, with new details emerging about a nearly

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a tricky and unexpected spot right now. St. Louis looked to trade star third baseman Nolan Arenado all throughout the offseason but failed to do so. The Cardinals superstar turned down a trade to the Houston Astros using his no-trade clause.

Nolan Arenado's future with the St. Louis Cardinals remains uncertain as trade options shrink. With key MLB teams pulling out, what’s next for the 10-time Gold Glove winner? The MLB offseason has been filled with rumors and speculation surrounding Nolan Arenado’s future.