Nolan Arenado Or Alex Bregman? Red Sox Have 'Leverage' With This Star, Insider Says

The Boston Red Sox's hopes of finding a standout right-handed bat for the 2025 season seem to boil down to two final options.

They can trade for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, an eight-time All-Star who may be in the early phases of his decline, or they can sign longtime Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, who is seeking a six- or seven-year deal, in free agency.

There are pros and cons to both players, and those have been discussed all winter in more places than we can track. But there's one potential deciding factor that goes beyond the two players' unique fits with the Red Sox roster.

On Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive explained how the Red Sox have minimal leverage in negotiations with Bregman, especially in comparison to Arenado:

"Even if Bregman wants to come to Boston, he’s not going to do so if they don’t present him (and his agent, Scott Boras) with the best deal," Cotillo wrote.

If the Sox remain unwilling to give Bregman more than four years (as The Boston Globe reported was the case on Jan. 25), then it’s hard to envision them landing him with the Cubs, Blue Jays and Tigers seemingly willing to present longer offers and the Astros — even if a “long shot” — potentially lying in the weeds.

On the flip side, Cotillo detailed the advantages the Red Sox have in negotiating with the Cardinals when it comes to Arenado:

"The Cardinals don’t want Arenado on their roster come Opening Day and they’re motivated to find a partner. That process has been complicated by Arenado’s no-trade clause and the fact he — after vetoing a trade to Houston in December — clearly isn’t just going to go anywhere. His market is limited, and that’s his choice.

"That he has been screaming from the rooftops that he wants to come to Boston hurts the Cardinals’ leverage and helps Boston, especially this late in the game when other preferred destinations (Yankees? Dodgers?) seem less likely."

There have been rumblings that the Red Sox prefer Bregman to Arenado, assuming they can somehow get him to sign for that ideal four-year contract. But if Arenado is all they can get, the Red Sox may have to seize that opportunity before it's too late.