Cardinals, Red Sox trade proposal swaps beloved $260 million star for young DH

The St. Louis Cardinals missed the postseason in 2024. They could look to offload some veterans and build a younger team for the future.

While proposing blockbuster trades for star players, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer proposes this trade that sends Nolan Arenado to the Boston Red Sox:

• Cardinals receive: designated hitter Masataka Yoshida
• Red Sox receive: third baseman Nolan Arenado

"This would be a bad contract swap, albeit one in which the Cardinals would save $18.2 million. That would align with the franchise's current goals," wrote Rymer. "Plus, Chaim Bloom would get to acquire Yoshida all over again. If nothing else, he would make the Cardinals a tad younger and infuse more contact into their offense."

Arenado signed an eight-year, $260 million deal with the Colorado Rockies in 2019. He was traded to the Cardinals before the 2021 season. He is an eight-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner. Arenado is one of the best defensive third basemen of this generation and would be a big addition to the Red Sox. 

"If the Red Sox had Arenado to play the hot corner, they could move Rafael Devers across the diamond to first base," wrote Rymer. "This has felt like an inevitable shift for a while now, as Devers isn't exactly getting more reliable defensively at third."

Yoshida hit .280 in 108 games last year. It was just his second Major League Baseball Season as he came from Japan in 2023. Arenado has been a staple of the Cardinals organization since he was acquired. Losing him would be a big blow, but it may be necessary.

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