Ex-Yankees coach defends Nolan Arenado's 2024 Cardinals stats, picking 2 American League East top teams as ideal destination for 8x All-Star
Nolan Arenado may have fallen off the ranks but's is an elite defensive third baseman. Considering he was playing at the St. Louis Cardinals' home park, Busch Stadium, the drop in stats can be excused, according to former Yankees coach Sean Casey. The analyst mentioned two AL East teams, who could benefit having him there.
From hitting 26 home runs in 2023, Arenado only hit 16 in 2024, his lowest home run since his rookie year. In Wednesday's "The Mayor's Office" segment, Casey said:
"Talking to Matt Carpenter, who played with Arenado last year at the winter meetings, he was saying, 'Dude, this guy still has MVP-type ability.' If you think about it, St. Louis is not a good place to hit. Dude, it’s a bomb there. It’s not a great yard to hit in if you’re playing every day there," Casey said.
Casey picked the Red Sox as a potentially good fit, as he's a great pull hitter who can clear the Green Monster at Fenway Park.
"So, you look at his numbers and go, 'Okay, you take Arenado and put him in Fenway.' He’s another pull-righty —that’s another nice fit," Casey said (10:35 onwards).
"For some reason, I feel like the Red Sox want to get another bat in their lineup, and one of those guys seems like they would fit perfectly."
Sean Casey picks Yankees as good fit for Nolan Arenado
AL East's Yankees signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million, who's a ground ball pitcher. With Nolan Arenado's glove guarding third base, Casey believes the Yankees would like having him there.
"I was also thinking about the Yankees," Casey said. "The Yankees just got Max Fried for eight years at $218 million. Max Fried is the No. 1 ground-ball pitcher in the game. Where are those ground balls going? Third base, you know what I mean? And then you’ve got Arenado, a Gold Glove winner, over there. Him and Volpe on the left side—oh, forget about it, dude. That shores it up big time.
"They need a third baseman. You put Jazz Chisholm back at second, and you’ve got Volpe and Arenado on the left side of the infield. Then, you could bring Bellinger into first. You know they’re going to do something there."
Outside these AL East teams, another team that seems interested in acquiring Arenado is the LA Dodgers. With so many big market teams potentially involved, Nolan Arenado is hopeful of taking big bucks on his check.