It's tough to tell how much of the Boston Red Sox's interest in a Nolan Arenado trade is genuine, but plenty of others have strong opinions.
Sep 26, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) in the dugout in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Arenado wants out of the St. Louis Cardinals by any means necessary, so he's on board. Red Sox star Trevor Story wants his old Colorado Rockies teammate in town. Meanwhile, plenty of Red Sox fans hate the idea of bringing in Arenado if it means giving up first baseman Triston Casas.
Casas turns 25 next week and has obvious 40-homer potential, with a violent, powerful swing and a 6-foot-5 frame. But because he's left-handed (something the Red Sox have too much of) and plays a relatively low-value position, there's speculation that a trade could be beneficial.
Put Major League Baseball insider Robert Murray of FanSided, then, in the opposite camp.
On Tuesday, Murray lambasted the idea of the Red Sox sacrificing Casas to bring Arenado into the fold, going as far as to call the idea "malpractice."
"Moving Casas is not something that the Red Sox should do," Murray wrote. "But moving Casas, and then potentially replacing him with the 34-year-old Arenado and the $74 million remaining on his contract, would be organizational malpractice and could set the franchise back years."
"Craig Breslow, the Red Sox’s lead executive, can’t do it. And I don’t expect him to."
Arenado, 33, is an eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover. However, the 2024 season was his worst in over a decade, as he posted a .719 OPS/101 OPS+, and his contract pays him $74 million over the next three years.
For all the reports about Casas being available and Arenado preferring a trade to the Red Sox, it's not clear whether Breslow and the Red Sox are making much of an effort to secure the trade. Maybe they think the rumors will help them pressure Alex Bregman to sign in Boston, or maybe everything is being pushed from Arenado's camp.
Regardless of all the smoke, the only thing that matters is whether Casas, Arenado, or both get traded. And Breslow would be putting his reputation on the line in either case.
