The Cardinals have been infuriatingly quiet this winter. They are the last team that has yet to sign a free agent or make any sort of trade [editor’s note here: the Cardinals traded for Micheal Helman Thursday evening]. A lot seems to depend on Alex Bregman’s market and where he will go, but we received an interesting update from Jon Morosi on Tuesday.
Morosi noted that even though Bregman hasn’t picked his team yet, the Cardinals and Red Sox have resumed trade talks about Nolan Arenado. Many in the industry believe that Arenado’s situation can’t be resolved until Bregman signs, but this was certainly an interesting development.
Buster Olney also noted that Arenado seems to want to play in Boston. This certainly raises the question of whether or not the Arenado situation is anywhere closer to being resolved. Does this mean the Cardinals will finally make a move this offseason? I certainly hope so.
With Morosi and Olney’s latest reports, I’m starting to believe some things might be changing. We know the Red Sox have shown interest in both Bregman and Arenado. But with Bregman’s market stalled, could this mean that the Red Sox are pivoting to Arenado?
I wrote a piece a while back stating that teams need to stop waiting around for Bregman to make his decision. He wants a long-term deal and he’s dying on that hill. The Red Sox are the only team we’ve heard about showing any legitimate interest in Arenado.
This whole offseason has been frustrating because the Cardinals advertised a “reset” but have done absolutely nothing. But it seems like the Red Sox are the key to the Cardinals finally getting something done.
I won’t make an excuse for John Mozeliak not pivoting to trading other pieces or the DeWitt’s being overly conservative with payroll, because that’s the main problem. But to me, it seems like the Red Sox have grown tired of waiting on Bregman.
They, not unlike the Cardinals if Arenado is traded, need a right-handed bat, and if they aren’t able to land Bregman on a short-term deal, the ideal place for them to pivot is to Arenado.
Spring training starts next week. Fans in Boston are just as frustrated as fans here in St. Louis are about certain things. The Red Sox have also expressed that they need a righty hitter.
I can’t help but think that the Red Sox have at least started to pivot to Arenado, which would finally allow the Cardinals to do something. Perhaps soon, we’ll start to see this “reset” take shape. It seems like Bregman may be the Jordan Montgomery of this year and won’t sign until sometime during spring training, when a short-term deal is the only option.
If the Cardinals get this potential deal done, then I’ll believe that there’s at least somewhat of a plan for the future. Thomas Saggese and Nolan Gorman would then have everyday roles with the team, and we’ll finally be able to see if these young guys can contribute and usher in a new era of Cardinals baseball.
Like I said, it seems to me like Boston has pivoted to Arenado, and that’s good news for the Cardinals if it’s true. Hopefully something materializes in the next few days. I think I speak for many Cardinals fans when I say that this has gone on long enough and needs to be resolved as soon as possible.