The pendulum seems to swing in favor of the Boston Red Sox amid their interest in trading for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Boston needs a right-handed bat, wouldn’t have to supply a long-term contract commitment, and has been deemed a “strong candidate” to land Arenado. The Red Sox would just have to inherit the remaining $74 million on Arenado’s contract, all while not worrying about the interference of an American League East rival.
“(The New York Yankees) do not appear interested in Arenado, and I don’t know if he’s interested in going to the Yankees anyways,” MLB insider Jon Heyman said on Bleacher Report’s “B/R Walk-Off” stream Wednesday.
Heyman added: “It’s hard to trade someone with a full no-trade (clause) whose salary needs to be lowered in some way. So it’s difficult. It’s not easy. At the moment, it does feel like the Red Sox are the most likely landing spot if he does go somewhere, and he probably should because I think he wants to go.”
The Red Sox could utilize Arenado as a short-term solution for their right-handed bat void, relieving Rafael Devers from the 162-game grind of guarding the hot corner. Arenado also spent six seasons with Boston shortstop Trevor Story as teammates with the Colorado Rockies, therefore, a reunion could, too, be in the works.
Arenado’s 2024 run with the Cardinals was a downward season, giving the 33-year-old motivation to bounce back — whether in Boston or anywhere else — in 2025.
He batted .272 with 16 home runs — Arenado’s fewest home runs since MLB’s COVID-19-affected 2020 season — and 71 RBIs in 152 games. But with 10 Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Sluggers and eight All-Star appearances in Arenado’s 12 big league seasons, it’s easy to chalk up his latest campaign as an off-year.
Fenway Park could play a major factor in returning Arenado’s bat to its All-Star form.
Arenado crushed 13 home runs to left field, playing through Busch Stadium’s harsh outfield dimension — its left field wall sits 336 and 375 feet from home plate. Fenway Park offers a more conducive 310-foot distance from home plate, which could pave the way for Arenado to rack up home runs and extra-base hits all of next season in Boston.
Not to mention, Arenado’s presence could also get the Red Sox back on track to compete with the AL pennant-defending Yankees in 2025.
