8-time All-Star wants the NY Mets more than the fans and team seem to want him

Bob Nightengale’s stories on USA Today are the CVS receipts of sports reporting. They go on forever. It’s easy to miss some of what he writes. A lot of New York Mets coverage was included in his latest, mostly revolving around Pete Alonso and a contract comparison to Prince Fielder which seems odd considering how long ago he signed and how it turned out for the Detroit Tigers and later the Texas Rangers who traded for him.

You might have glossed over it, but there was some other valuable information relating to Mets rumors in there as well. In relation to Alex Bregman’s free agency, he mentions how the St. Louis Cardinals’ desire to trade Nolan Arenado helps push against Bregman getting signed. Nightengale reminded us that Arenado would waive his no trade clause for the Mets and Boston Red Sox. Each is thought to be a destination for Bregman.

Do Mets fans want Nolan Arenado as badly as he’d be willing to come here?

This isn’t your father’s Arenado anymore. He has aged quickly, losing abilities in all areas that helped make him an 8-time All-Star. Only two seasons separate him from finishing third in the MVP. Heading into his age 34 season, he’s not exactly ancient but the signs of collapse are there. 

Arenado’s loss of power was one of the more alarming signs last year. Although he raised his batting average and OBP a few points from the season prior, his slugging percentage cratered to only .394. His 16 home runs and 23 doubles were the lowest totals in any full season of his career. While not necessarily a guy we associate with winning home run titles, he actually has three of them in his career plus a fourth season where he hit 41 but came up short. This was in 2019 when Pete Alonso slugged more than anyone else in the National League.

Moving from the Colorado Rockies to the Cardinals didn’t completely wash away all offensive production. His first two years in St. Louis were 30+ double and home run seasons with 100+ RBI. Sinking numbers in both areas the last two years plus some lost range on defense are all helping to make him a far less attractive player moving forward.

Arenado becomes more palatable to the Mets if money and years are of great concern. It’s one of the reasons why they and everyone else has failed to rush to sign Bregman. Arenado only has three years left on his deal but they’re the back part of a massive contract. For a team like the Mets that already has multiple young and inexpensive third base options, a declining veteran doesn’t seem like the wisest addition to make.

The Cardinals have been aggressive at trying to trade Arenado. He even turned down a trade to the Houston Astros after they sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. This came despite previously having the Astros on his list of teams he’d be willing to go to. The Mets and Red Sox are possibly his last resort. Two teams building their rosters in a similar fashion, a fun little aspect about all of this is how Arenado’s existence is becoming a pain for Scott Boras. Arenado had previously been a client of Boras until November of 2015 when the budding star third baseman for the Rockies dropped him. A decade later, he has slowed down the movement of several of his former agent’s clients.