What Nolan Arenado Report Means For Potential Red Sox Pursuit

The Boston Red Sox remain engaged in addressing their offseason roster needs and might’ve gained a slight upper hand that could help chief baseball officer Craig Breslow snag All-Star infielder Nolan Arenado.

Arenado, currently with the St. Louis Cardinals, has been on the trade block this offseason with teams lining up ready to trade. Among those were the Houston Astros, and their pursuit of replacing free agent third baseman Alex Bregman didn’t last very long once Arenado himself stepped in.

“According to sources, the Astros and Cardinals were in discussions on a potential trade involving the third baseman, but Arenado informed St. Louis that he will not waive his no-trade clause to go to Houston,” MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, John Denton and Brian McTaggart reported Wednesday.

Houston’s star power has slowly begun to fade as the front office completed a four-player trade with the Chicago Cubs that sent away outfielder Kyle Tucker, last season’s starting right fielder for the Astros. Tucker, an All-Star for the past three seasons, signaled Houston’s change of direction while the run at Arenado ensured the Astros aren’t tearing down the roster’s entirety — and their playoff hopes — just yet.

Boston, meanwhile, has spent months in search of a right-handed power bat and it dates back to the MLB trade deadline in July. Breslow acquired backup catcher Danny Jansen before the team finished 81-81 and missed postseason contention for a third straight time. That hasn’t stopped Breslow and the rest of Boston’s front office, however, from bouncing back and picking up the phones this winter.

Now, that Houston is eliminated from Arenado contention, the Red Sox can develop a plan of attack before contacting Cardinals chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.

Arenado, an eight-time All-Star who, during his heyday, racked up 40-plus home run seasons in the National League, could be Breslow’s answer. The 33-year-old spent five seasons with Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story as teammates on the Colorado Rockies and is still among the most elite third basemen in MLB today. Arenado committed the third-fewest errors (nine) among third basemen last season and recorded the second-highest fielding percentage (.977%) across 152 games.

He compiled a slash line of .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs, 23 doubles and 71 RBIs last season, with 13 of those round-trippers landing in left field — a swing tailored for Fenway Park. Boston’s already demonstrated the willingness to go all out in the trade market, as Garrett Crochet’s addition would attest to, so while the Astros swung and missed the Red Sox are still in the running until further notice.