Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated that the third baseman will be traded this offseason, Dodgers viewed as unlikely landing destination.
Around the 2023 trade deadline, the Dodgers expressed interest in acquiring St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, however a deal never came to fruition.
The Dodgers in 2024 around the trade deadline did make a move for a Cardinal, this time being Tommy Edman, and, well, let’s just say the Dodgers got the better end of the trade (and then some).
The Cardinals have some tough decisions this offseason regarding the future of their team. Former MVP Paul Goldschmidt is currently a free agent after a poor 2024 season and the team isn’t prioritizing a potential reunion. On Monday, team president of baseball operations John Mozeliak revealed that the team is intending on trading Arenado.
The Dodgers were seen as a team that could be in the mix for the Southern California native and El Toro High School alumnus, but team general manager Brandon Gomes stated that the Dodgers will be sticking with Max Muncy at third base for the 2025 season, shooting down the idea of Arenado donning Dodger blue, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“(Muncy) is going to play third base for us,” Gomes said. “He’s such a big piece of what we do and has been a staple. So yeah, Max is playing third base.”
Arenado has expressed an interest in playing first base for a future suitor, but the Dodgers would be foolish to move on from reigning World Series MVP Freddie Freeman for a player with virtually no experience at the position.
The 33-year-old is coming off his worst full season since his rookie campaign, where he slashed just .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs, 71 RBI, and a 102 wRC+.
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The Dodgers and free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández have been in discussions about a reunion, however, the two sides have been unable to bridge the gap in contract negotiations, per Alden González of ESPN. After missing out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays are all reportedly in the mix for Hernández.
Roki Sasaki has officially been posted to sign with an MLB team this offseason, yet his agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media Group, indicated that his client isn’t too familiar about the teams interested in signing him.
The Dodgers have been linked to the Japanese pitching phenom all offseason, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is making a Sasaki signing his biggest priority, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
“He’s someone that is obviously a major priority for us,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “We’re going to do whatever we can, and know that there are a lot of other teams that are going to do the exact same thing.”
Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox are searching for high-end starting pitching help, most recently expressing interest in Walker Buehler.
Sources have said they also have interest in Walker Buehler, who may not have a spot on the Dodgers after nine seasons in the organization.
The Cleveland Guardians announced on Tuesday that former Major League outfielder Rocky Colavito passed away at the age of 91.
Colavito spent the majority of his career with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers, but played in 40 games with the Dodgers during the final season of his career. Colavito finished his career with nine All-Star appearances and 374 career home runs.