The MLB Winter Meetings lived up to the hype this year, with multiple big free-agent signings popping up in the last few days. Going in, every team is given an opportunity to talk to players and their respective agents to work out a possible deal. The trade market is another viable way, but it can lie more hidden in plain sight with no guarantee of the player being dealt. The Philadelphia Phillies are getting a taste of that right now with third baseman Nolan Arenado.
As reported by MLB.com's John Denton, Arenado holds high-level value that the Cardinals want to extract every bit of in a trade this winter.
If Phillies aren't shopping Alec Bohm, does Nolan Arenado make any sense?
Denton also reported a short list of teams from Arenado's agent, Joel Wolfe, as agreeable trade partners. The list included the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and the Phillies. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Phillies have reportedly shown interest in Arenado, even with Alec Bohm apparently not being shopped.
The interesting part is wondering where third baseman Alec Bohm factors into all this. Rumors have been brewing for months regarding his questionable maturity and impending departure from Philadelphia.
As if it never happened, Phillies manager Rob Thomson stated at the Winter Meetings that Bohm is here to stay, or at least not actively being shopped around, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"I just wanted to let him know we're not — this guy is a really good player," Thomson said, per Seidman. "We're not shopping him. But because he's a good player, there's a whole lot of interest in him from other teams.
Thomson is right in the fact that Bohm has played a pivotal role for the Phillies, especially in his first All-Star season, driving in 97 runs while sporting a .779 OPS. Bohm took the cleanup role in stride, hitting behind the trio of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper.
Phillies fans are starving for some kind of change. If the news is true of Bohm remaining in Philadelphia, then why have interest in Arenado? Arenado did mention his willingness to switch positions due to his diminished play at the hot corner, but if third base isn't available anyway, there isn't a ton of roster flexibility. Harper, Turner and Schwarber have secured their positions while Stott is still under team control for a few more years.
Arenado has had a supreme career with the Colorado Rockies and now the St. Louis Cardinals with a career .285/.342/.515 slash line and a .857 OPS. The 33-year-old is an eight-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger winner and set a MLB record by starting his career winning 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards at third base. He also has finished top eight in NL MVP voting six times in 12 seasons.
Arenado is heading into his age 34 season in 2025. He's not the same player he was in his peak Rockies years but he is still a winning player to bring aboard for a team that will be in a fight for the division. A possible move elsewhere on the roster to free up room can be made still, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski still has yet to make a splash this offseason.