Red Sox Could Land $52 Million Superstar From Cardinals In 3-Player Blockbuster

Is this the right move for the Red Sox to make this winter?

May 12, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Perhaps the Boston Red Sox's New Year's resolution will be to finally find a right-handed bat to balance their lineup.

It's been discussed ad nauseam all winter, but the Red Sox have still yet to pull the trigger. They lost Tyler O'Neill to the Baltimore Orioles in free agency, and so far, they haven't signed any position players in free agency to try and replace him.

Alex Bregman is still an option in free agency, but the Red Sox could alternatively look to trade for Nolan Arenado, who is looking to leave the St. Louis Cardinals if the right team comes along. The Red Sox are on the list of six teams the eight-time All-Star would approve a trade to play for.

On Tuesday, Zachary D. Rymer proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Arenado to Boston, along with cash considerations, for second baseman Vaughn Grissom and middle infield prospect Mikey Romero, a 2022 first-round pick.

"Lest anyone think of this as Rafael Devers erasure, it's frankly past time for Boston to move him across the diamond to first base," Rymer said.

"Even after the Garrett Crochet trade, the Red Sox remain loaded with young position players. That can only help if they pursue Arenado, as St. Louis' rejection of Stroman indicates that a bad-contract-swap involving, say, Masataka Yoshida is not happening."

If Arenado is at third and Devers is at first, that seems to signal the Red Sox trading away first baseman Triston Casas. If that's what Rymer believes Boston must do, there's a lot of cause for pushback.

For the last two seasons, when healthy, Casas has been a better hitter than Arenado. He's also nine years younger, so it doesn't make sense to send out a player likely on the ascent for one likely on the decline. But keeping both in town could be a very attractive solution.

At the end of the day, it comes down to the Red Sox's willingness to trade Yoshida elsewhere and eat most of the money left on his contract. If they do that and they see Arenado's defense and rebound potential as the best way to reconstruct their lineup, it would be hard to knock the vision.

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