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 with regards to figuring out whether or not or not he’ll go away the Cardinals. MLB.com’s John Denton reviews that Arenado would okay a deal to any of the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Phillies, Mets, or Purple Sox. It isn’t recognized 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 suitable circumstances.
Agent Joel Wolfe mentioned his shopper’s scenario with reporters (together with Denton, Jeff Jones of the Belleville Information-Democrat, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Publish-Dispatch) immediately on the Winter Conferences, and implied that Arenado’s checklist of potential groups is “larger than you’d assume.” The chief consider Arenado’s decision-making is discovering “a crew that he thinks goes to win now and persistently for the rest of his profession. He desires a crew that has the throttle down….that he believes he can soar proper in and so they’re going to win proper now.”
This all being mentioned, 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 scenario 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 “arduous no’s of the place he’d choose to not go.”
Earlier reviews indicated that three unknown “mid-market” golf equipment additionally had curiosity in Arenado’s companies, so these might be a number of the groups Arenado has already vetoed for the reason that six groups on his checklist are larger spenders. The Yankees had additionally been linked to Arenado and Goold reviews 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Yankees look like a match on paper given their want at third base and the presence of Arenado’s good good friend and outdated Rockies teammates DJ LeMahieu, but it surely stays to be seen if the Yankees are nonetheless on Arenado’s radar.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 crew 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 transferring to handle different wants.
The Purple Sox and Padres had been extra speculatively linked as suitors a number of weeks in the past, and Goold reviews 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 depart his longtime third-base place is perhaps 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 supply of a place change as a solution to get in entrance of any awkward questions from a crew’s finish on the topic. “The way in which he phrased it, ‘I’ll play first,’ typically [teams] don’t wish to ask a participant to try this,” Wolfe mentioned. “So he needed to supply it and say, ‘I’m pleased 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 mentioned Arenado has no geographic choice about his subsequent vacation spot. It might be argued that the Angels is perhaps on Arenado’s checklist solely attributable to location, as a crew coming off 9 straight dropping seasons hardly appears to match Arenado’s choice for a crew 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 will not be a risk the group has thought of.” L.A. common supervisor Brandon Gomes made a degree of claiming Monday that Max Muncy was going to stay because the crew’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 could or could not wish to deliver 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 be acceptable to the Cardinals. Different issues embody Arenado’s age (he turns 34 in April), his declining energy over the past two season, and the $74MM ($10MM lined by the Rockies) in wage owed over the remaining three years of his contract.
