Whether it was due to other teams’ lack of interest in the third baseman or Arenado’s rethinking of the destination, the St. Louis Cardinals made every effort to trade Nolan Arenado this offseason to one of the teams he was willing to waive his no-trade clause for, but they ultimately failed in their attempt. According to reports, Arenado was open to playing for the Boston Red Sox. Despite the fact that they didn’t come knocking for Arenado, Boston may be considering their alternatives after suffering a devastating blow to their squad.
The injury to the Red Sox’ Triston Casas could lead Boston to pivot to Nolan Arenado
A significant knee injury following a collision at first base has led to Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas requiring season-ending surgery and left Boston racing to find a long-term replacement. There have been persistent reports that Boston has looked to shift star third baseman Rafael Devers across the field to first base, and this injury might speed that transition and create a huge vacuum at the hot corner.
Arenado should have some value to a team willing to take on part of his deal because he has somewhat recovered from 2024, which was the worst year of his career in almost every statistic. The Cardinals were determined to force the team who traded for Arenado to pay a sizable amount of his remaining contract, and given the Red Sox’s desperation as a successful team right now, the Cardinals could finally have leverage in such a transaction.
After leading the franchise for four seasons, Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals’ new president of baseball operations, is familiar with the Red Sox and is probably well-versed in the team’s prospects, many of whom were selected during his tenure. Bloom must be actively involved in any transaction involving Arenado and the Red Sox, even though John Mozeliak remains the de facto leader of the Cardinals’ front office.
The Cardinals will probably look for pitching assistance to increase their minor league depth and supply pitchers with much-needed strikeout stuff, since MLB.com ranked the Red Sox third in its semiannual farm system rankings. Two of the Red Sox’s top pitching prospects, Luis Perales and David Sandlin, both match the fireballer characteristics the Cardinals should be looking for.
Although the Cardinals are presently in fourth place in the NL Central with a 17-19 record, Mozeliak mentioned the prospect of contending in 2025. The Cardinals must win the whole division if they hope to qualify for the postseason since it is extremely improbable that a Wild Card club would emerge from the division. In light of this, the Cardinals must not allow their desire to compete in Mozeliak’s last season to override their better judgment. The Cardinals must answer the phone on the first ring and finalize a trade if the Red Sox make a move for Arenado.
