The Boston Red Sox are reportedly interested in trading for star third baseman Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Sean McAdam of MassLive indicates that the Red Sox are considering moving Rafael Devers to first base, which would open the door for a potential acquisition of Arenado. “Don’t rule out some Red Sox interest in Nolan Arenado,” McAdam wrote. “There’s been at some internal talk about moving Rafael Devers off third base at some point. And, Arenado is viewed as a potential Plan B. The Cardinals, who are watching their payroll carefully, wouldn’t be opposed to moving him if a team is willing to take on most of the remaining money. One potential obstacle: Arenado has a full no-trade clause.”
Arenado’s name has surfaced in trade discussions, and McAdam believes there is genuine interest from the Red Sox. The star player has three years remaining on his eight-year, $ 260 million contract. Arenado is an eight-time All-Star and a ten-time Gold Glove winner, in addition to being a five-time Silver Slugger award winner. Last season with the Cardinals, he batted .272 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs.
How Would Arenado Fit in With The Red Sox?
Should Boston acquire Arenado, he would become the starting third baseman, while Devers would shift to first base. Devers has struggled defensively at third base, committing 12 errors last season, which was his lowest, following seasons with 24, 22, and 19 errors. Bringing in Arenado would enhance Boston’s defense, and moving Devers to first would fill a positional gap.
Currently, Boston’s first baseman is Triston Casas, so having Arenado at third and Devers at first would improve both their defense and lineup performance.
However, Devers’ agent, Nelson Montes de Oca, recently expressed to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe that his client sees himself strictly as a third baseman. “He is a third baseman,” Montes de Oca said. “And he will continue to play third base and work hard to get better at it. That’s his position, that’s what he likes to play, and that’s what he will be playing.” Devers finished last season with a .272 average, 28 home runs, and 83 RBIs.
Cardinals Looking to Trade Arenado
Arenado has been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason. Cardinals reporter Katie Woo of The Athletic noted that St. Louis may consider moving Arenado to reduce payroll and allow younger players in their system to take over at third base. “Arenado’s situation is less clear, though even if he does prefer to be traded, there is no guarantee he will be,” Woo wrote. “His heavy contract and performance decline over the last two years, along with his full no-trade clause, does not leave much room for negotiations. Trading Arenado would open third base to Donovan and Gorman (who came up through the Cardinals system as a third baseman).”
Following her report, MLB insider Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that there has been increasing discussion about a potential trade. “We’ve started to hear some whispers about Nolan Arenado being traded, and given the state of the Cardinals, that could gain some steam as the winter progresses,” Feinsand wrote.
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