One of the hottest names on the MLB trade market this offseason is Nolan Arenado. Arenado has had some bad luck with winning during his career, as he was stuck with the hapless Colorado Rockies for a large part of his time in the Major Leagues right before joining the St. Louis Cardinals as they were turning away from World Series contention.

The Cardinals missed the playoffs once again this season, finishing 2024 with a respectable 83-79 record. However, in the ultra-competitive National League, that wasn't enough to earn one of the wild card spots or beat out the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central title.

Now, Arenado wants out of St. Louis and he has a no-trade clause that will allow him to essentially choose his next destination. Now, there is some more clarity on where that may be. The Boston Red Sox have emerged as a top suitor for Arenado and a destination that he would be open to being traded to, according to Chris Cotillo of Mass Live.

“Boston is a preferred destination — if not the preferred destination — for Arenado, a hot trade candidate who has a full no-trade clause, industry sources said Sunday,” Cotillo wrote. “The 33-year-old has already invoked that clause to control his future once, blocking a trade to Houston in late December. If the Red Sox and Cardinals were to match up on value, there would be no hesitation on Arenado’s end to accept the deal.”

It's unclear what the Red Sox's interest in Arenado is, but it's hard to imagine they wouldn't want to go get a proven star at one of the game's most important positions. Arenado is coming off of a tough season at the plate, but it would be easy to talk yourself into that being a blip in the radar if you're the Red Sox.

The Red Sox have already shown that they want to get back into contention quickly this offseason with the move to sign Walker Buehler. Adding Arenado would bolster the defense and give them another powerful threat at the plate. If that's truly where the legendary third baseman wants to go, the Red Sox should be eager to make it happen.