Red Sox's Suggested Blockbuster Would Land Cardinals' Nolan Arenado In 1-For-1 Swap

How likely is Arenado to come to Boston at this point?

Sep 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) reacts in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox's offseason back-and-forth once again appears to have swung in the direction of St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.

After multiple reports surfaced earlier that the Red Sox and Cardinals had kept discussions open about Arenado through the winter, Red Sox fans just hope the team adds somebody. There are those who prefer Alex Bregman as an offseason acquisition, but either way, a righty bat is better than no righty bat.

The eight-time All-Star Arenado, who has three expensive years remaining on his Cardinals contract, is coming off a down year at age 33. What should the Red Sox realistically expect to pay in order to bring him to Boston?

On Thursday, FanSided's Zach Pressnell proposed that the Red Sox could acquire Arenado and cash considerations from the Cardinals in exchange for right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts, one of the pieces Boston landed in the Alex Verdugo trade with the New York Yankees.

"This deal is pretty simple. The Cardinals would send Arenado and a solid chunk of cash to pay for the veteran's deal to the Red Sox in exchange for prospect Richard Fitts," Pressnell wrote.

"The Red Sox could use Arenado at third base while moving Rafael Devers over to first base. Devers could split time with first baseman Triston Casas... This kind of move could work to keep both players healthy and fresh through the long season."

Obviously, Devers and Casas splitting time at designated hitter would also mean something has to be done regarding Masataka Yoshida. Maybe that's finding his way back to left field in spite of subpar defense, or maybe that's finding a team to dump as much of his salary on as possible.

Meanwhile, Fitts showed well in his four big-league starts at the end of last season, so it shouldn't be too hard to sell the Cardinals on his upside. He doesn't project to be an ace in the majors, but the Cardinals would be thrilled if he develops into a cost-controlled number-three starter by year's end.

There are lots of moving parts to an Arenado trade, but it could be Boston's last, best chance to get the right-handed slugger they need, with Hall of Fame defense to boot. It will be fascinating to see if a deal ever comes through.

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