The Cardinals should propose this trade package to get Nolan Arenado to the Red Sox

The Cardinals still have not found a way to trade Nolan Arenado, and it's getting frustrating to say the least. At least this week, there have been some rumors. The Cardinals and Red Sox have re-engaged in discussions about a potential deal. It's unclear whether or not the Red Sox are finally pivoting away from Alex Bregman.

John Denton of MLB.com says that the Red Sox's preference is Bregman, though Matt Geagan of CBS Boston reported that they would rather take on Arenado's contract than give Bregman the deal he is looking for, so there's a lot still up in the air at the moment.

On Thursday night, the Cardinals picked up Michael Helman in a trade with the Twins. He can play a little third base, shortstop, and center field, and does hit from the right side of the plate. Perhaps he'll end up being the right-handed bat John Mozeliak was searching for. That is, if Arenado is traded.

Below is a potential trade package that would send Arenado to Boston.

A Cardinals-Red Sox trade to send Nolan Arenado to Boston

Denton mentioned Thursday night that trade talks broke down due to St. Louis being unwilling to take on $20 million of Arenado's salary, but that they have recently been willing to discuss a restructured deal with the Red Sox, Yankees, and even the Dodgers, though it's hard to imagine where Arenado fits in Los Angeles right now.

Denton also noted that slugger Blaze Jordan, Boston's No. 22 ranked prospect in 2024, was somebody the Cardinals were interested in. They are thin on position players at the minor-league level. He's not MLB-ready just yet, but his ETA last year, according to MLB.com Pipeline was sometime in 2025.

He could be an upgrade over Luken Baker as a backup first base option or could find his way into the equation at third base if Nolan Gorman struggles again.

Fitts was Boston's 10th-ranked prospect in 2024. He's already tasted the majors, going 0-1 with a 1.74 ERA in four starts. Unlike Jordan, Fitts came to Boston after Chaim Bloom was fired. They acquired him from the Yankees for Alex Verdugo.

However, he is one of their top-ranked starters in the system, and he could give the Cardinals an extra option in case Miles Mikolas can't rebound from a bad 2024 season, or if Steven Matz can't stay healthy.

They could always use more pitching in the system, and I personally like the idea of Fitts being part of this package. If the Cardinals eat up to $20 million, they could potentially sweeten the potential return for Arenado.