MLB insider warns Red Sox of pitfalls in acquiring Nolan Arenado

MLB insider Robert Murray was very blunt in his assessment of the Boston Red Sox being tied to rumors of them possibly trading for third baseman Nolan Arenado from the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals have been interacting all offseason long with several teams, especially the Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the LA Dodgers to move Arenado, who still has three years and $74 million on his eight-year, $260 million contract signed in Feb. 2019.

During Friday's episode of The Baseball Insiders podcast, Murray didn't like the Red Sox potentially bringing on Arenado through trade.

"If I were the Red Sox, I would not pursue Nolan Arenado," Murray said (18:16 onwards). "I would not be involved in it. I would not even consider it because it just feels like it's going to do more harm than good, and you're blocking some prime players."

Murray also pinpointed reasons why he felt so, highlighting the downside of the potential trade.

"Even the thought of having to move Tristan Casas or play him less in order to put Arenado in your lineup or defensively makes no sense," he added. "The Red Sox have had a puzzling offseason. It's been disappointing. Obviously, they made some good moves by acquiring Garrett Crochet and Wilyer Abreu, but they still have more to do.

"If the other moves they make include Arenado, that would make this offseason a failure in my eyes. I've been very straight-up about the fact that the Red Sox should not do it."

Cardinals back on table with three teams to move Nolan Arenado

Apart from his hefty contract, Nolan Arenado's no-trade clause has also put the Cardinals in a tight spot. Earlier this offseason, they were almost close to sending Arenado to Houston; however, the third baseman rejected the deal.

John Denton of MLB.com reported on Thursday that with no progress in Arenado trade talks with the Cincinnati Reds, the Cardinals have again gone back to Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers to possibly restructure the deals and get rid of him.

There's no report that says that the Cardinals are willing to eat some of Arenado's salary, but the rumors suggest that without it, no team will care to trade for the third baseman.

Let's see whether Nolan Arenado stays in St. Louis or heads to new destination in 2025.