The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly attempting to shop star infielder Nolan Arenado this winter. John Denton of MLB.com recently reported the Boston Red Sox had emerged as a potential suitor for Arenado, who could be a great pivot if Boston misses out on Alex Bregman.
“The Cards and Red Sox have again engaged in trade talks centered around Arenado in recent days, a source told MLB.com,” Denton wrote. “Arenado, who hit .272 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs in 2024, has a full no-trade clause in his contract, and he exercised that option in December to block a potential trade to the Astros. Boston would prefer to sign former Astros All-Star Alex Bregman, but it is in a bidding war with at least two other teams for the services of the free-agent third baseman, per the source.”
If the Astros miss on Bregman, which seems increasingly likely, they could quickly pivot to Arenado.
Trading for Arenado would likely cause Boston to move Rafael Devers to first base which would leave Triston Casas without a spot in the lineup.
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Instead of benching the star first baseman, Boston would likely look to trade him. There were rumors of a potential blockbuster trade between the Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates which could have swapped Casas for Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones.
If Boston lands Arenado, this deal could come to fruition.
Pirates Red Sox Casas Jones
With Boston hypotehtically acquiring Arenado in this situation, the Pirates would have the leverage. This means Boston would have to pair Casas with prospect Nazzan Zanetello in order to land the talented righty from Pittsburgh.
Jones, 23, held a 4.14 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 121.2 innings during his rookie season. He would fit into the future of Boston’s rotation very well. The righty would join Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck at the top of a young and improving Red Sox unit.
Casas, 24, was very impressive in his 132 games during the 2023 season. He faced injuries last year, but the first baseman still packs a load of talent and potential. Zanetello, 19, has all the tools to be a great prospect, but he hasn’t put it together on the field yet. He still has plenty of time to grow and improve, but a change of scenery could help him quite a bit.
This deal would work well for both teams. The Pirates have a good bit of pitching but not enough hitting to compete. Boston would have a lot of hitters with a hole in the pitching staff. This deal solves both teams’ issues.
