There’s a million-dollar question that will dictate the remainder of the Boston Red Sox’s offseason, and it centers around their highest-paid superstar.
Rafael Devers is the current face of the Red Sox franchise, and he’s still only 28 years old. However, for five-plus years, his defense has failed to improve, and whether or not he can stick at third base for much longer has drawn mixed opinions.
Speculation has arisen that the Red Sox may try to move Devers to either first base or designated hitter this winter, either of which would necessitate a trade. Slugging first baseman Triston Casas and expensive DH Masataka Yoshida both have their heads on a swivel in anticipation of such a move.
If Devers does move, however, who should take over his old position? Well, if it’s defense the Red Sox are seeking, why not go out and grab one of the greatest third base defenders of all time?
In a recent 2025 Opening Day roster projection, NESN’s Tim Crowley predicted that the Red Sox would trade for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, an eight-time All-Star entering his age-34 season, while moving Devers to designated hitter.
“Alex Cora and Craig Breslow have been adamant that Rafael Devers is not moving from third base,” Crowley said. “But wouldn’t that change if they added an elite defender like Arenado to man the hot corner?”
“We’ll say for the sake of the scenario that would be the ensuing shakeup after a potential deal with St. Louis. Now, Devers can solely focus on the strengths in his offensive game and further embrace his role as the driving force of the Red Sox lineup.”
Arenado is coming off his worst season in over a decade, putting up a .719 OPS in 152 games, which barely placed him above league average. But the entire Cardinals offense floundered this year, so he’s an ideal change-of-scenery candidate, especially as a righty potentially moving to Fenway Park.
Such a trade would obviously constitute the Red Sox losing Masataka Yoshida, perhaps in part of the return for Arenado. Doing so while keeping Triston Casas at first base might just give the Red Sox the perfect balance of offense and defense.
