As Nolan Arenado’s commerce market continues to percolate, the no-trade clause within the third baseman’s contract places Arenado and his camp within the driver’s seat in the case of figuring out whether or not or not he’ll go away the Cardinals. MLB.com’s John Denton stories that Arenado would okay a deal to any of the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Phillies, Mets, or Crimson Sox. It isn’t identified if these are the one six golf equipment on what Denton describes as Arenado’s “want checklist,” or if Arenado might be amenable to offers to every other golf equipment in the fitting circumstances.
Agent Joel Wolfe mentioned his shopper’s state of affairs with reporters (together with Denton, Jeff Jones of the Belleville Information-Democrat, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Submit-Dispatch) right this moment on the Winter Conferences, and implied that Arenado’s checklist of potential groups is “greater than you’d assume.” The chief think about Arenado’s decision-making is discovering “a staff that he thinks goes to win now and persistently for the rest of his profession. He desires a staff that has the throttle down….that he believes he can bounce proper in and so they’re going to win proper now.”
This all being stated, Wolfe famous that Arenado is “not going to go simply to go,” or “approve and transfer his household and go play someplace that will…sidestepping” right into a state of affairs no higher than his present spot in St. Louis. Wolfe stated he and Arenado have been in common dialogue with Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, with Mozeliak floating some groups which have already been dismissed as “onerous no’s of the place he’d favor to not go.”
Earlier stories indicated that three unknown “mid-market” golf equipment additionally had curiosity in Arenado’s providers, so these might be a few of the groups Arenado has already vetoed because the six groups on his checklist are greater spenders. The Yankees had additionally been linked to Arenado and Goold stories that the Cardinals had been in contact with the Bronx Bombers in regards to the third baseman. As Jones notes, the Yankees look like a match on paper given their want at third base and the presence of Arenado’s good good friend and outdated Rockies teammates DJ LeMahieu, but it surely stays to be seen if the Yankees are nonetheless on Arenado’s radar.
New York’s different staff might even have a gap on the scorching nook relying on how the Mets select to deploy Mark Vientos, or whether or not or not the Mets re-sign Pete Alonso or add one other huge first base bat. The Phillies likewise have an incumbent third baseman in Alec Bohm, however Bohm’s identify has been talked about in a number of commerce rumors as one of many big-league roster items Philadelphia is reportedly open to shifting to deal with different wants.
The Crimson Sox and Padres had been extra speculatively linked as suitors just a few weeks in the past, and Goold stories that St. Louis has already been involved with these two golf equipment about Arenado. Boston’s curiosity might hinge on whether or not or not they’d transfer Rafael Devers off third base, whereas Arenado’s personal obvious willingness to go away his longtime third-base place could be associated to his curiosity in becoming a member of the Padres (as San Diego already has a star third baseman in Manny Machado).
Wolfe addressed his shopper’s provide of a place change as a method to get in entrance of any awkward questions from a staff’s finish on the topic. “The best way he phrased it, ‘I’ll play first,’ generally [teams] don’t wish to ask a participant to do this,” Wolfe stated. “So he needed to supply it and say, ‘I’m comfortable to play first, I can transfer round and play third.’ Nolan was like, ‘I’ll play shortstop, I’ll do no matter, however I’m not insulted to go play first, and I can win a Gold Glove over there, if that’s what it takes.’ ”
Since Arenado is from Southern California, it shouldn’t be ignored that the Padres, Dodgers, and Angels are all on his approval checklist, although Wolfe stated Arenado has no geographic choice about his subsequent vacation spot. It might be argued that the Angels could be on Arenado’s checklist solely resulting from location, as a staff coming off 9 straight shedding seasons hardly appears to match Arenado’s choice for a staff able to win.
A commerce to the Dodgers appears off the desk, as The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo hears from sources that “a deal for Arenado just isn’t a chance the group has thought of.” L.A. basic supervisor Brandon Gomes made some extent of claiming Monday that Max Muncy was going to stay because the staff’s common third baseman, and a place swap wouldn’t a lot assist Arenado discover a spot amidst the crowded Dodgers infield.
It stays to be seen if any of Arenado’s most well-liked groups might or might not wish to convey the eight-time All-Star into the fold, although even within the occasion of mutual curiosity, there’s additionally the matter of figuring out a commerce that can also be acceptable to the Cardinals. Different problems embrace Arenado’s age (he turns 34 in April), his declining energy over the past two season, and the $74MM ($10MM coated by the Rockies) in wage owed over the remaining three years of his contract.
