Royals Could Re-Enter Sweepstakes For $64M Star Thanks To Red Sox's Latest Signing
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Every domino that falls during the Major League Baseball offseason sets another one in motion.
The Boston Red Sox's signing of Alex Bregman on Wednesday night was an extremely significant domino. The Kansas City Royals weren't involved in Bregman's market, but there's a chance they could get involved in the domino that seems likely to fall next.
The Red Sox were a prime trade destination for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, who is on the outs with his current team despite three years remaining on his contract. Now that Bregman is in Boston, the Cardinals will almost definitely have to look elsewhere if they want Arenado gone.
Third base is a known problem spot for the Royals, who project to start Maikel Garcia at the position once again in 2025. Will Kansas City get involved as a last-minute Arenado suitor?
According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, the Royals were believed to have checked in on Arenado around the winter meetings, but weren't pursued as a trade partner, because the Cardinals didn't anticipate the third baseman would be interested in playing in Kansas City.
One has to wonder now how the calculus may have changed. The Red Sox looked primed to be the eventual Arenado destination, due to his desire to play in Boston and good fit for Fenway Park. Now that Boston has Bregman, Arenado is in danger of not being traded at all.
If what matters the most to this point to Arenado is getting out of St. Louis, he may not have many options left--especially options that he would get excited about. Kansas City might start to look more appealing as the beginning of the season looms and Arenado faces the possibility of joining a team that has publicly stated it doesn't want him around anymore.
The holdup to an Arenado trade has been money. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported earlier this week that the Cardinals may have to eat half or more of his $64 million in remaining salary to convince a team to take him on.
Kansas City, which already has a higher payroll than last season, would want as much of that money paid down as possible. But if the Cardinals get truly desperate, the Royals' window could be open to acquire a future Hall of Famer at a position of need.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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