Arenado used his no-trade clause to block a potential trade to the Astros, Mark Feinsand, John Denton and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com report.

The report says the Cardinals were willing to send $15-20 million to the Astros to help cover part of Arenado's salary, but the third baseman informed St. Louis he would not waive his no-trade clause to go to Houston. It's not clear what the Cardinals would have received in return. While the two sides are still having "ongoing talks," the Astros "aren't holding out much hope that a deal will get done."

The Diamondbacks signed Vargas to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Aram Leighton of Just Baseball reports.

Vargas was non-tendered by the Nationals last month after he slashed just .246/.295/.316 in 2024. The 33-year-old first reached the majors with the Diamondbacks in 2017 and has spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues with Arizona. Vargas has a shot to win a utility job with the Diamondbacks.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer indicated Tuesday that Busch is not under consideration to play third base and will instead remain focused on first base, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Cubs have an opening at the hot corner following the trade of Isaac Paredes and Busch has some experience at third base. However, the team views Busch as a potential Gold Glove-caliber first baseman and wants him to remain there. Top prospect Matt Shaw looks to be the current favorite to start at third base.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday that Baty could be used in a utility role next season, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

Baty was used some at second base in the minors last season and Stearns has previously mentioned the outfield as a possibility for the 25-year-old, so the hints at a potential utility role had been there. Of course, Baty's name has also been brought up in trade rumors and his most likely role for the Mets at this point might be as a trade chip.

Arenado is willing to play some first base in order to create roster flexibility for the team acquiring him in a potential trade, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

A large part of Arenado's value comes from his defense at third base, so it's not clear how many clubs would be looking to shift him to the other side of the diamond even on a part-time basis. Still, some flexibility can't hurt, and the fact he's even willing to entertain the possibility also seems to speak to Arenado's eagerness to waive his no-trade clause. Woo notes that a few teams have expressed interest in Arenado, but those talks "have yet to yield any substantive progress." However, negotiations are expected to pick up around the winter meetings and there is a "growing sense" in the industry that Arenado will be dealt.

Farmer agreed to a one-year contract with the Rockies on Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Farmer's mutual option for 2025 was declined by the Twins on Oct. 31, causing the 34-year-old shortstop to enter free agency after spending the last two seasons in Minnesota. He mostly served in a reserve role in 2024 behind Carlos Correa, and across 242 plate appearances in 107 regular-season games, Farmer slashed .214/.293/.353 with five home runs and 25 RBI. Farmer will likely serve a similar role in Colorado behind the 23-year-old Ezequiel Tovar.

The Marlins selected De Los Santos' contract from Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

De Los Santos finished the 2024 season with 40 home runs and 120 RBI between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He got his strikeout rate down to 24.7 percent overall on the season, but it came in at 28.4 percent with Jacksonville after he landed there via trade. While there are swing-and-miss concerns, De Los Santos won't turn 22 until June and has immense raw power. He could get a shot with the Marlins at some point in 2025.

The Brewers signed Delgado to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old slashed .275/.365/.426 with nine homers and 22 stolen bases over 93 games with Triple-A Columbus in the Guardians organization in 2024. Delgado has not appeared in the majors but will get a shot in big-league camp with the Brewers.

Atlanta signed Leblanc to a minor-league contract Wednesday.

Leblanc, 28, is a career .254/.330/.412 hitter over parts of two big-league seasons. He will provide Atlanta with some infield depth.

The Cardinals are expected to gauge trade interest in Arenado this month, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that at least one of the team's four players with no-trade clauses is open to the club exploring trade interest from other teams. It seems that player is Arenado, who is owed $74 million over the next three seasons (with $10 million of that being covered by the Rockies). Arenado will turn 34 in April and fell off to a .272/.325/.394 batting line with 16 home runs in 2024, although he was a Gold Glove finalist at third base. There would figure to be plenty of interest in the eight-time All-Star even as he's coming off a down season, although trade talks will be complicated since Arenado can essentially dictate his landing spot.