Most offseason reports imply that Nolan Arenado wants to play somewhere else, with the Boston Red Sox being his favored destination. But how desperate is Arenado to get out of St.Louis? “It’s not like he’s begging to leave,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said during a media event over the weekend, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
DeWitt then admitted that it may be beneficial for both the team and Arenado, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, to find a new home for the talented third baseman. “There are two things there,” DeWitt is quoted as saying. “One is that we would want to go with younger players, and Nolan, if given the choice, I believe he would prefer to play for a club that, on paper at least, has a good chance of winning the World Series.
“Having said that, it’s not easy to find. A, the team you are so confident in going to, and B, he enjoys being here. But I think it would be beneficial for him if he could choose one of those teams that everyone believes has the best chance of winning a championship this season.” Finally, DeWitt will not mind if Arenado starts the season on St. Louis’ roster.
“He’s a Hall of Fame-type player,” DeWitt said Goold. “We’re happy to have had him, and we’ll be happy in the future if he stays.” Arenado, who will be 34 in April, hit.272 with 16 home runs and a.719 OPS in 152 games last year.
