The St. Louis Cardinals plan to trade star third baseman Nolan Arenado, and they prefer to receive high-level prospects in return. However, the trade process is complicated by his no-trade clause. Among the teams on Arenado’s “wish list,” several have prospects that could satisfy both Arenado and the Cardinals. These teams include the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels. At 33 years old, Arenado can veto trades to any team he does not wish to join.
Nolan Arenado’s Wish List
The contract will be difficult to trade. There are three years and $64 million left on Arenado’s deal. The contract also includes deferred money through 2041. Arenado is coming off his worst season, but he is still appealing because of his strong body of work throughout his career.
The Cardinals may need to take on some of the money on the deal to get the return they want. However, that is not their preference. Their main priority is not a salary dump necessarily, but replenishing their farm system to fit the organization’s new youth-centered phase.
Teams Who Have a Deep Farm System
The Dodgers have the deepest farm system of the teams on Arenado’s wish list. MLB Pipeline ranks them as the fourth-best farm system in baseball. However, the Dodgers are reportedly not interested in making a deal for Arenado.
The Red Sox are the next highest and might be a good match for the Cardinals. They have the seventh-best farm system in baseball. The Red Sox have three outfielders in their top six prospects Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Miguel Bleis. Anthony and Campbell are both on the MLB Top 100 list. If the Cardinals are looking for a high-potential bat to add to their farm, Boston may be the place to go looking. However, with third baseman Rafael Devers signed to a long-term deal, Arenado would have to switch positions for that to work.
The Mets have the 13th-ranked farm system. Five of their top six prospects are outfielders as well. Four of those, Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford and Carson Benge, are all on the MLB Top 100 list. The organization just made a splash with the Juan Soto signing, which could block those bats from seeing the big leagues. If they want to load up for a run with Soto, Arenado could attract them.
What Other Teams Can Offer
The Phillies, Padres, and Angels all have farm systems ranked 16th or lower. Among these teams, the Phillies rank the highest at 16th, only three spots ahead of the Cardinals, who are 19th. None of these teams have more than two prospects on the MLB Top 100 list.
Five of the Phillies’ top 12 prospects are outfielders. Their third-ranked prospect, Justin Crawford, is listed as No. 53 on the MLB Top 100. If the Phillies are unwilling to part with Crawford, they also have three Single-A outfield prospects: Dante Nori, Griffin Burkholder, and John Spikerman, who could attract the Cardinals’ interest.
However, just two years after their World Series appearance, the Phillies are in a win-now mindset and may be tempted to acquire Nolan Arenado if they believe he can elevate their team.
On the other hand, the Padres and Angels have stronger prospects in pitchers and infielders at the top of their farm systems. The Cardinals might be seeking more outfielders or first basemen. While they possess solid pitching talent at the higher levels of their minor league systems, they could easily be enticed by acquiring a high-profile arm from Double-A or Single-A.
Main Photo: © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The post Teams with Top Prospects Could Lure Cardinals Star appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.