The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals have been in discussions on and off all offseason regarding a potential trade for third baseman Nolan Arenado, and now that spring training is opening across baseball, the two teams are back at the bargaining table once again, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
Per Speier, the current hang up is over Arenado's salary. He has three years remaining on his contract and the Cardinals are responsible for paying $64 million of the $74 million. The remaining $10 million is being paid by the Colorado Rockies as part of the deal that sent Arenado to the Cardinals in the first place.
The Red Sox would prefer that the Cardinals pay some of his remaining salary if he came to Boston, but the sides haven't agreed upon how much. St. Louis is seeking salary relief as well as a "modest prospect return" from Boston, which has one of the deepest farm systems in baseball.
Arenado is one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball, even though metrics indicate that he is not the hitter at 33 years old that he was in his 20s. An Arenado acquisition would require some defensive shuffling for the Red Sox, who have star Rafael Devers currently manning third base.
Arenado hit .272 last season with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs in 152 games, while sporting one of the best gloves in baseball at the hot corner.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Red Sox, Cardinals Back at Table to Discuss Potential Nolan Arenado Trade.
