The Boston Red Sox have improved their team this offseason in significant ways.
They made one of the biggest trades of the winter by picking up Garrett Crochet and also added Walker Buehler. But their lineup and infield need one more piece to truly be an American League contender. Before Spring Training begins this week, the Red Sox should trade for Nolan Arenado.
The Red Sox have a franchise third baseman locked in long-term, Rafael Devers, but that should not stop them from making this move. Arenado has said he would be open to a position change to facilitate a deal, specifically to first base. Well, Boston has lefty slugger Tristan Casas there. So either Arenado or Devers could be moved to second base, a current hole in the roster, or Casas could be sent out in a different deal.
Once they figure that out, Arenado will be a perfect fit. He is a righty bat, which translates well to Fenway Park but the Red Sox do not have a lot of. The organization could have concerns about trading more prospects after the blockbuster Crochet deal. But if they take on Arenado’s full salary for the final three years of his deal, it won’t require a bevy of prospects.
But Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow needs to be careful when dealing with the Cardinals. While in Boston, Chaim Bloom drafted and oversaw the development of many of the Red Sox prospects. So, Bloom will target a prospect he likes, which should raise a red flag for the current Boston execs.
But even if a prospect they trade becomes a star, the Red Sox will be better off with Arenado on their team this year. What can he bring to the lineup?
The Red Sox must add Nolan Arenado
The Red Sox have been connected to former Astros third baseman Alex Bregman as well this offseason. He is willing to move to second base and has a history with manager Alex Cora. But his free agency has been slow because of an outrageous $350 million request and could lead to an Arenado trade.
While they lost four of their top prospects in the Crochet trade, the Red Sox should be willing to give up a prospect to make this move. They have a lot of lefties in their lineup and pipeline and need righty hitters to take advantage of Fenway. They can also hold on to their top prospects by taking on Arenado’s entire salary over the next three years.
But the Red Sox have cut costs significantly in the 2020s. Since trading Mookie Betts, they have only signed Trevor Story and Devers to significant deals. Arenado would be the third-highest-paid player on the team, behind those two infielders.
The American League is very murky behind the defending champion Yankees. Even they lost Juan Soto in the biggest move of the offseason. So making this improvement would put the Red Sox on a Wild Card track.
The final Nolan Arenado trade
The Red Sox will receive Nolan Arenado from the St Louis Cardinals in this offseason deal. If they take on the entire salary, they could get away with just trading righty pitcher David Sandlin, their ninth-ranked prospect. If they ask the Cardinals to retain salary on the deal, 19-year-old shortstop Yoelin Cespedes could be in the deal. Bloom was in the organization when Cespedes was signed and could pay Arenado just to get him into St Louis’ system.
