With a couple more weeks to go til the trade deadline, the big potential pieces are emerging in the race to see who will infuriate 2023 Topps Update collectors the most. There are talks that the Angels will try and deal Shohei Ohtani, but I'm of the mind that they probably won't ultimately, because there's a lot they're asking for that most teams won't pony up with for a rental.
Then you have Nolan Arenado. Who I am almost certain is being dealt this year, and will likely be a large piece of wherever he's going for the foreseeable future.
Arenado's potential status as a trade piece is despite there still being 4 more years on his contract that he signed with the Rockies back in 2019. Whoever gets him will have to pay for a good portion of what's left, and will have to stomach a 4 year contract hanging around. There have been talks of the Yankees being in the race for Arenado. While this is a very likely choice, and one that could pay off if handled correctly, I do worry about the ability the St. Louis GM has to get Brian Cashman to give up too much. He got him to give up Jordan Montgomery last year, and I worry he could talk him into giving up one of the big prospects, like Austin Davis or Spencer Jones, in exchange for Arenado. Peraza being in on the deal I'm fine with, if we're getting four years of third base excellence it all works out.
It is odd that Arenado's Cardinals tenure may only be capped at three years potentially. When he was initially traded to the Cards, I thought he'd just be there for the rest of his career. I figured they'd keep competing, and build properly, and utilize people like him and Goldy til the contracts ran out. Ultimately, the Cardinals aren't exactly playing worth their weight, and if Arenado helps them shed some cap space while rebuilding, so be it. But Arenado being a potential deadline guy...that's odd for me. Mostly because he joined the Cardinals thinking they'd keep competing to that level.
And what's nice is that Arenado's still very much in his prime, he's made an All-Star team every year he's been in St. Louis, he's on par for a third straight 100+ RBI season, he's batting .280 and already has 20 home runs. This has admittedly been Arenado's first season where he's seeming like more of a liability at third, but I'm chalking that up to a down year rather than a career downturn, even if he is 32. He's a future hall of famer who's still having 30-homer/100+ RBI seasons. The fact that even he can't help the Cardinals get out of fifth says more about the team than Arenado.
I'd honestly be alright if the Yankees went for him, it honestly depends on what they give up. I do think there's probably gonna be teams that want him more, I expect the Brewers, Dodgers, D-Backs, Rays, maybe even the Phillies to make attempts to land him, and probably somebody bigger and badder will win out. It's be nice if it could happen, I dunno how much further it'd get us, but it'd be kinda cool.
Coming Tomorrow- The man who started the All-Star Game for the AL over Adley Rutschman, Cal Raleigh, Salvador Perez or Christian Vazquez.
If you had told me early in the year that Arenado might be available at the deadline, I'd be thinking the Mets should grab him. But unless something big happens over the next week or so, they're going to be sellers too.
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