Time is running out for the Boston Red Sox to add an impact bat before the 2025 season.
At this point, the Red Sox’s two main options are free agent Alex Bregman and trade candidate Nolan Arenado. The former is younger and coming off a more productive season, while the latter could be easier to attain and hopes to rebound to his future Hall of Fame form.
While Bregman might be a better fit in the eyes of some, it’s clear that he and the Red Sox are miles apart on a potential contract. He wants a six- or seven-year deal, while Boston has yet to entertain the notion of paying him for more than four.
So for argument’s sake, let’s say the Red Sox are getting ready to fully pivot to Arenado. What would the ins and outs of a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals look like?
In a YouTube video published Saturday, content creator Robbie Hyde came up with a hypothetical proposal that would send Arenado and $15 million cash to the Red Sox for infield prospects Blaze Jordan and Nazzan Zanetello.
“I’d rather the Red Sox go after Alex Bregman… but if they don’t want to spend the money that it takes to land him, I think Arenado would be a good fallback option,” Hyde said. “He’s only got three more years left on his contract, and he is going to be cheaper than Alex Bregman.”
“I think it makes a lot of sense for these two guys to head back to the Cardinals… Both guys have a lot of upside and both were drafted by Chaim Bloom, who’s now with the Cardinals.”
Jordan and Zanetello have both seen their stock drop a bit since they were drafted (Jordan in 2020, Zanetello in 2023), but both have major upside at the plate. They’re not currently players the Red Sox are expecting to impact the big-league roster in the near future, so they’d essentially be lottery tickets for St. Louis.
The real determining factor is the money, and that’s likely where the Red Sox and Cardinals would spend most of their time haggling. If it’s $15 million spread out over three years, the Red Sox would owe $49 million to Arenado- which could be a good deal or a bad one depending on how those years go.
