Nolan Arenado wants to go to a contender. He could’ve gone to the Boston Red Sox, but they signed Alex Bregman. Can the New York Yankees give the All-Star hope for a new home?
The Red Sox went in another direction with a three-year free-agent deal for two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman to add the right-handed bat they coveted. That deal came after nearly three months of speculation around a potential trade for Arenado. Instead, suitors did not come sprinting to Arenado, with the exception of a nixed Houston Astros trade, that’s left him with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Yankees still make sense for two reasons if New York chooses to pursue Arenado. The team could move Jazz Chisholm Jr. off third base and add another impact right-handed bat, especially as Giancarlo Stanton deals with ongoing elbow issues in spring training.
Will the Yankees find an unintended counter to the Red Sox signing Bregman?
The peak of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry came in the early 2000s with a pair of classic meetings in the American League Championship Series. Those offseasons watched the teams add star players on an alternating basis. This specific scenario isn’t unprecedented either with the Yankees eyeing an All-Star third baseman in February after Boston checked around on a trade.
The Red Sox had a blockbuster deal to acquire then-Texas Rangers star Alex Rodriguez vetoed by the MLB Player’s Association before the 2004 season. After third baseman Aaron Boone suffered a lower-body injury playing basketball, New York swiftly swooped in to bring Rodriguez to the Yankees.
Now, this version of Arenado in his career is nowhere near prime “A-Rod.” Regardless, the move would come at an ironic time in the recent historical context between the clubs.
The Red Sox and Yankees already traded alternating starting pitching additions this winter as well. New York signed former Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried to an eight-year deal while Boston traded for young star Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox.
The Yankees don’t appear anywhere close to trading for Arenado at the moment, but plenty can change in the month