Report: Red Sox among Arenado's preferred teams
Nolan Arenado's got eyes for Fenway Park.
The Boston Red Sox are one of Arenado's preferred destinations if he's traded by the St. Louis Cardinals, sources told MassLive's Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam.
Arenado, who put up a .719 OPS with 16 homers in 152 games with St. Louis last season, has full control of his future thanks to a full no-trade clause. He used that clause to block a deal that would have sent him to the Houston Astros last month.
Arenado's agent, Joel Wolfe, revealed in December that he spoke to the Red Sox directly after getting permission from the Cardinals to do so. But while the 10-time Gold Glove third baseman would apparently sign off on a move to Boston, it's not clear whether there have been any trade talks between Boston and St. Louis, or how far along they might be.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has been open about trying to move Arenado before Opening Day in an attempt to trim payroll. The 33-year-old is owed $74 million over the final three years of his contract, although some of that is deferred. A small portion would also be covered by his former team, the Colorado Rockies, per Cot's Contracts.
Trading for Arenado would also lead to a major roster shake-up in Boston, as the Red Sox already employ an All-Star third baseman in Rafael Devers. Although Arenado has expressed a willingness to play first base, he's been the gold standard for defense at the hot corner over the last decade. A more likely scenario would see Devers, who's more limited defensively, move across the diamond.
Shifting Devers to first would then open the door for Boston to trade Triston Casas, who's reportedly been made available this winter. Although chief baseball officer Craig Breslow denied this week that Casas is being shopped, the belief around the majors is that the team is still open to dealing the young first baseman, Cotillo and McAdam report.
The Red Sox, who finished third in the AL East at 81-81 in 2024, beefed up their starting rotation this offseason by signing Walker Buehler and trading for Garrett Crochet. They've also recently been connected to another star third baseman in free agent Alex Bregman.
Other reported suitors for Arenado include the New York Yankees, who recently signed his longtime Cardinals teammate Paul Goldschmidt. The Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres have also been linked to Arenado.