As the Boston Red Sox head into the New Year, a key resolution may be addressing their need for a right-handed bat to bring balance to their lineup. Despite ongoing discussions throughout the offseason, the Red Sox have yet to make significant moves in this area. The departure of Tyler O’Neill to the Baltimore Orioles in free agency left a notable gap, and thus far, no position players have been signed to fill it.
Alex Bregman remains an available option in free agency, but the Red Sox could also explore trading for Nolan Arenado. The eight-time All-Star has expressed interest in leaving the St. Louis Cardinals under the right circumstances and has included Boston among six teams he would approve for a trade.
Sports analyst Zachary D. Rymer recently proposed a hypothetical trade scenario that would send Arenado and cash considerations to Boston in exchange for second baseman Vaughn Grissom and middle-infield prospect Mikey Romero, a 2022 first-round pick. Rymer suggested this move could lead to a positional shift for Rafael Devers, moving him across the diamond to first base.
“Lest anyone think of this as Rafael Devers erasure, it’s frankly past time for Boston to move him across the diamond to first base,” Rymer stated. He added that Boston’s wealth of young position players could facilitate a trade for Arenado, though St. Louis appears unlikely to accept a bad-contract swap involving Masataka Yoshida.
If Arenado were to take over third base and Devers moved to first, this could raise questions about the future of Triston Casas. Casas, however, has proven to be a strong hitter when healthy, outperforming Arenado in recent seasons and being nine years younger. Trading Casas for Arenado would seem shortsighted, given their respective career trajectories, but retaining both could be an enticing option for Boston.
Ultimately, the success of such a trade hinges on the Red Sox’s willingness to move Yoshida and absorb much of his remaining contract. If Boston sees Arenado’s elite defense and rebound potential as essential to reconfiguring their lineup, this ambitious strategy might be the bold step they need.
