The St. Louis Cardinals are in a bind. Star third baseman Nolan Arenado wants out, and the whole world knows it.
Arenado, entering his age-34 season, no longer looks to be the eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover he once was. He’s coming off a season where he put up just a .719 OPS and 101 OPS+, his lowest marks since his rookie year of 2013.
Because he has three years left on an expensive contract, Arenado has proven tough to move, especially because he has a short list of teams for whom he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause. He already nixed a trade to the Houston Astros, who quickly pivoted to signing free-agent first baseman Christian Walker.
There’s one team that has consistently stood out as a fit, though, because of their need for right-handed batting: the Boston Red Sox.
On Thursday, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report proposed a hypothetical trade that could send Arenado to Boston. In return, St. Louis would receive designated hitter Masataka Yoshida and top shortstop prospect Yoeilin Cespedes.
“By rejecting an offer for Arenado from the New York Yankees that was reportedly based on Marcus Stroman, the Cardinals signaled their unwillingness to swap bad contracts,” Rymer wrote.
“Frankly, Arenado’s trade value is so diminished that they may not have a choice. At least they’d save some money in this deal. Yoshida is owed $55.8 million, whereas the Cardinals owe Arenado $64 million. This would otherwise be a prospect purchase for the Cardinals, with the 19-year-old Cespedes bringing a strong bat to St. Louis’ system.”
Yoshida, 31, hasn’t been the superstar slugger some thought he could be in Major League Baseball, but he’s batted .285 with a 111 OPS+ in his two big-league seasons. Cespedes, still a few years away from being big-league ready, could prove to be the real prize.
In theory, if the Cardinals could get the Red Sox to eat some of Yoshida’s money, this would be a slam-dunk trade win for St. Louis. But when both sides are concerned about the finances, it’s not usually as easy as asking for salary relief.
More MLB: Mets predicted to trade for 3-time All-Star if Pete Alonso leaves New York
