REPORT: Boston Red Sox To Acquire $52 Million St. Louis Cardinals Gold Glover Nolan Arenado In 3-Player Blockbuster Trade

The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly actively trying to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado. With $52 million remaining on his contract, the Cardinals are eager to offload as much of that money as possible while acquiring talented prospects to support their upcoming rebuild.

Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently speculated that the Boston Red Sox could be the front-runners to acquire Arenado in a major trade. He even proposed a potential trade package that would benefit both teams.

 

 

Here’s the hypothetical deal Rymer suggested:

Boston Red Sox receive: 3B Nolan Arenado, Cash
St. Louis Cardinals receive: 2B Vaughn Grissom, INF Mikey Romero (No. 12 prospect)

Rymer noted, “While this shouldn’t be seen as an indictment of Rafael Devers, it’s probably time for the Red Sox to move him to first base.” He added that if the team doesn’t agree with this, Arenado could potentially be open to playing first base for a new team. Regardless, Rymer believes Arenado’s right-handed pull power is perfectly suited for Fenway Park, especially given the stadium’s Green Monster, which tends to favor such hitters according to Statcast’s Park Factors.

Despite the recent Garrett Crochet trade, the Red Sox still boast a deep pool of young position players, which could be an asset if they pursue Arenado. Rymer also pointed out that the Cardinals’ unwillingness to engage in a bad contract swap—like one involving Masataka Yoshida—suggests the trade would focus on talent acquisition.

In this scenario, Arenado would play third base for the Red Sox, with Rafael Devers shifting to first. This move could create a logjam at first base with Triston Casas, a talented young player who could share time between first base and designated hitter with Devers. Alternatively, the Red Sox could opt to trade Casas for a top-tier starting pitcher.

Vaughn Grissom, who has shown promise in his brief MLB career, had his best season in 2022 with the Atlanta Braves. Mikey Romero, a 20-year-old infielder, is known for his solid all-around game, particularly his above-average hitting ability.