Insider: 2 Teams Ready to Swoop In If Red Sox Can't Strike Arenado Trade

Many around baseball seem to be waiting for the Boston Red Sox to strike a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for 10-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado. But within the last 24 hours, insider Jon Morosi says it's not necessarily "Boston or Bust" for Arenado.

The Mariners and Tigers are options for Nolan Arenado, if the Red Sox and Cardinals aren’t able to reach an agreement. https://t.co/jMlNFn5M9A
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 9, 2025

Arenado turned down a potential trade to the Houston Astros earlier this offseason, but now that his options are dwindling, he's apparently being a little more "open-minded" about where he'd accept a deal to. Make the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers two of those potential destinations. Let's consider each one.

Seattle Mariners

The M's are looking for an addition to their offense. No, Arenado isn't the hitter he once was, with two straight seasons of declining stats across the board. But he should be an improvement over incumbent Dylan Moore, who hit .201 last season with 10 home runs and a .687 OPS. Arenado, even in his reduced offensive condition, could top that, while maintaining the Gold Glove caliber defense at third that Moore provided in '24.

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers have been linked to Alex Bregman as a likely landing spot to take over their hot corner. But if his contract demands start to spook them, Arenado, with only three years left on his deal, and the Cardinals prepared to retain some of that money, would be much more affordable.