On Friday, it was reported that the St. Louis Cardinals are going to gauge trade interest in third baseman Nolan Arenado this offseason.
Arenado has three years and $74 million left on his contract. The Rockies owe him $10 million of that, making the deal effectively three years and $64 million for any acquiring team.
Out of pure speculation, MLBTradeRumors linked Arenado to the Blue Jays in a recent article.
And that is true. If the Jays continue to use Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, they do have an opening at third. The question then becomes if acquiring Arenado makes sense for Toronto.
First, Arenado is about to be 34 years old. If the Jays are going shell out big money this offseason, they should be focusing on Juan Soto. If they can’t get him, then they should be focusing on Pete Alonso or Christian Walker while moving Guerrero Jr. to third. They’ve been connected to Ha-Seong Kim, who would be a better use of resources and would cost a lot less.
Heck, old friend Teoscar Hernandez, also in his 30s, would be a better match for Toronto. He and Soto are coming off incredible years, while Arenado is coming off the worst overall year of his career.
He had just 16 homers this season to go along with 71 RBI. Arenado hit just .272.
Still, he’s one of the most accomplished players of the last decade. An eight-time All-Star, he’s also a 10-time Gold Glover and a five-time Silver Slugger.
If the Cardinals are willing to take lesser prospects and eat significant portions of the money, then maybe a deal could be appealing. But until then? This one is a pass.
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