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 depart the Cardinals. MLB.com’s John Denton stories that Arenado would okay a deal to any of the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Phillies, Mets or Pink Sox. It isn’t identified if these are the one six golf equipment on what Denton describes as Arenado’s “want listing,” or if Arenado might be amenable to offers to another golf equipment in the proper circumstances.
Agent Joel Wolfe mentioned his consumer’s state of affairs with reporters, together with Denton, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on the winter conferences, and implied that Arenado’s listing of potential groups is “greater than you’ll assume.”
The chief consider Arenado’s decision-making is discovering “a staff that he thinks goes to win now and constantly for the rest of his profession. He desires a staff that has the throttle down….that he believes he can bounce proper in they usually’re going to win proper now.”
Wolfe famous that Arenado is “not going to go simply to go,” right into a state of affairs no higher than his present spot in St. Louis. Wolfe mentioned 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 “laborious no’s of the place he’d favor to not go.”
Earlier reports indicated that three unknown “mid-market” golf equipment additionally had curiosity in Arenado’s providers, so these might be among the groups Arenado has already vetoed for the reason that six groups on his listing are greater spenders. The Yankees had additionally been linked to Arenado and Goold stories that the Cardinals have been in contact with the Bronx Bombers concerning the third baseman. As Jones notes, the Yankees seem to be a match on paper given their want at third base and the presence of Arenado’s good buddy and outdated Rockies teammates DJ LeMahieu, but it surely stays to be seen if the Yankees are nonetheless on Arenado’s radar.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 title has been talked about in a number of commerce rumors as one of many big-league roster items Philadelphia is reportedly open to transferring to deal with different wants.
The Red Sox and Padres have 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 it might transfer Rafael Devers off third base, whereas Arenado’s personal obvious willingness to go away his longtime third-base place may 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 consumer’s supply of a place change as a approach 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 need to ask a participant to do this,” Wolfe mentioned. “So he needed to supply it and say, ‘I’m completely satisfied 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 listing, although Wolfe mentioned Arenado has no geographic desire about his subsequent vacation spot. It might be argued that the Angels may be on Arenado’s listing solely because of location, as a staff coming off 9 straight dropping seasons hardly appears to match Arenado’s desire for a staff able to win.
A commerce to the Dodgers appears off the desk, as The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo hear from sources that “a deal for Arenado is just not a risk the group has thought of.” L.A. normal supervisor Brandon Gomes made a degree of claiming Monday that Max Muncy was going to stay because the staff’s common third baseman, and a place change 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 need to convey the eight-time All-Star into the fold, although even within the occasion of mutual curiosity, there’s additionally the matter of understanding a commerce that can also be acceptable to the Cardinals. Different issues embrace Arenado’s age (he turns 34 in April), his declining energy during the last two season, and the $74M ($10M lined by the Rockies) in wage owed over the remaining three years of his contract.
