Nothing seems to be going right for the St. Louis Cardinals, Nolan Arenado! The Cardinals have found themselves in a rather awkward situation due to failing to trade Arenado despite an agreement with the Boston Red Sox. As pointed out by MLB insider John Denton on February 13, Alex Bregman agreed with the Red Sox, which had been Boston’s preference over Arenado. Think that makes sense?

The third baseman, Alex Bregman’s 2024 performance, marked his average of .260, 75 RBIs, 26 home runs, and.768 OPS. Now Bregman’s agreement to a higher AAV deal makes the Nolan Arenado trade unlikely to happen, which the Cardinals almost expected after finalizing his trade with the Red Sox. So, is the Bregman deal showing its effects on the Cardinals’ ability to trade Arenado? 

Insider makes a surprising revelation about Arenado’s trade

While the St. Louis Cardinals were in talks with the Boston Red Sox for a long time to trade Nolan Arenado, the trade hasn’t happened yet, raising speculations of a potential deal getting stalled and the main reason being the Red Sox’s Alex Bregman preference over Arenado. John Denton shared on his X handle, “Bregman agrees with the #RedSox—always Boston’s preference over trading for #STLCards third baseman Nolan Arenado, as reported by MLB.com. With the Red Sox out of the mix, the Cardinals expect to ramp up Arenado trade talks with the #Yankees, per a source.”

Denton mentioned the Boston Red Sox’s preference for Alex Bregman over Nolan Arenado, which led to Bregman agreeing to a deal with them. While he was offered a six-year, $170 million contract, Bregman decided to go with a higher AAV deal with opt-out options. It is no secret that the Red Sox have been looking for a right-handed batter to bolster their lineup, while the St. Louis Cardinals are trying to trade Arenado; however, only a partial amount was sent to pay off the remaining three years, $64 million of Arenado’s extension. 

In addition to the contract issues, the Red Sox’s lack of intention to make Rafael Devers a permanent DH has also been a potential barrier to the deal. Now with the Red Sox out of the mix, John Denton hopes for the Cardinals to start talking with the Yankees about the Arenado trade. Will that be possible though?

The Yankees eye Nolan Arenado amid the shrinking sweepstakes

While the Nolan Arenado trade to the Red Sox seems very unlikely, the New York Yankees have appeared to be in talks with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees, despite having a great offseason, have a major gap on the field, while the departure of Juan Soto has made things more difficult for them. Despite his unsatisfactory performance, Arenado’s 2.5 WAR in 2024 has been significantly better than his 2022 total, so the Yanks may have a good chance. But that’s not all!

With a batting average of.272 and.719 OPS, the Yankees might not get everything sorted out easily, but he would definitely be better than DJ LeMahieu, who had been struggling for some time. LeMahieu has dealt with some serious injuries, which further increases the chances of Arenado’s signing by the Yankees. Trade insider Jeff Passan, however, refuted the report and thought Arenado would be a great fit with the Red Sox.

It is too early to tell Nolan Arenado’s perfect landing spot—will it be the Boston Red Sox, the Cardinals, or the Yankees? Let us know what you think in the comment below.