Braves Should Consider 10x Gold Glove Winner for Shortstop Upgrade

It's a creative move requiring the all-star to change positions, but it could be a move with a lot of upside

The Braves can add a bat to the lineup without sacrificing the defense / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Here’s a crazy opinion, the Atlanta Braves need to upgrade their shortstop. It’s a mind-blowing take. I’m not sure if anyone has said that one yet. Let me know if anyone has. 

Ok, but in all seriousness, it wouldn’t hurt for the Braves to get creative in order to find a new addition to the lineup. 

Willy Adames could sign elsewhere. Bo Bichette and Nico Hoerner could end up staying put or end up being acquired by other clubs.

Should these potential avenues fail, the bat they have been looking for might be hitting the trade market soon enough.

According to The Atheltic’s Katie Woo, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is more likely to be moved than stay in St. Louis. 

Nolan Arenado is more likely to be traded than to stay with the Cardinals in 2025, per @katiejwoo pic.twitter.com/1LJ5whFjL4

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 3, 2024

Yes, I know I just said third baseman. Yes, Austin Riley exists. But that’s what I mean by getting creative to make the upgrade. 

There has been some chatter about Nolan Arenado’s willingness to move to first base if needed. Why not see if he would be interested in giving shortstop a go? He’s never played an out at shortstop during his Major League career. But that is also the case for first base. 

Keep him on the left side of the infield and partner him up with Riley. Then, you don’t have to worry about losing Orlando Aricia’s glove - the only defense (no pun intended) to keep him around. Arenado is a 10-time Gold Glove winner and his .977 fielding percentage was his best since 2020. 

It would be the best of both worlds. 

For those wondering about Arenado’s down year. Just remember it was a down year by his standards. The power numbers were alarming this year, with his slugging falling to .394. 

But he improved his on-base numbers with a .272 average and a .325 on-base percentage. He also still had 16 home runs and drove in 71 runs. This is a big note too because of Arcia’s infamous stats with runners in scoring position. 

Arenado slashed .272/.315/.400 with four home runs and 53 RBIs. He drove in more runs in this one scenario than Arcia did in all scenarios (46). 

There are other options to pursue ahead of this one. But if preferred options don’t work out in the Braves' favor, this could be an option with some great upside. Improve the offense without sacrificing the defense.

This is the type of gamble that has the Braves written all over it. Their move to bring in Chris Sale worked wonderfully last year. Maybe Arenado is the next return-to-form guy in Atlanta.