Lars Nootbaar gets real on ‘friend’ role amid Nolan Arenado trade saga
It has become common knowledge in MLB circles that the St. Louis Cardinals are trying to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado — if they can find a suitable return package.
With rumors swirling since before the season even ended, Arenado has spent months in baseball limbo. His friend and Cardinals teammate Lars Nootbaar, however, has his back. Nootbaar spoke with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and said that Arenado is working hard to prepare for the next season.
“You know Nolan, he’s working. He looks good right now,” Nootbaar said. “Obviously, things are going on (and) things are being said, but my role for him is to be a friend. It’s just — that’s what I am to him. He looks good. Obviously, everybody here knows he’s working. Nobody has to worry about that. But yeah, he looks good. He looks really good right now.”
At 33, Arenado is still a productive player and is just a year removed from three-straight All-Star nods. But with his advancing age and the three years, $70 million-plus remaining on his contract, the rebuilding Cardinals would rather he continue to produce elsewhere.
With pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in just a couple weeks, however, St. Louis is running out of time to move him.
The Cardinals could find a Nolan Arenado trade partner in the Red Sox
It just so happens that the Boston Red Sox are looking for one more right-handed bat and, theoretically, have the money to spend to take on the bulk of Arenado’s salary.
MassLive’s Chris Cotillo outlined the Red Sox’ top remaining offseason priority on Sunday, speculating that the Red Sox could strike when the Cardinals lower their asking price or they could go for free agent Alex Bregman.
“Sources continue to indicate that adding a right-handed bat is still Boston’s top priority with bullpen help being looked at as a secondary need,” Cotillo wrote. “Free agent Alex Bregman and Cardinals trade candidate Nolan Arenado remain the two big-name — yet imperfect — fits the Red Sox have considered. Boston could be waiting on either Bregman (short-term deal?) or the Cardinals (salary dump?) to get desperate as spring training draws closer.”
But while Red Sox manager Alex Cora believes Bregman would make a great second baseman, Arenado has only ever played third. Acquiring him would either necessitate moving Rafael Devers to first base or using the designated hitter spot to keep both bats in the lineup.
