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Padres Were Interested in Nolan Arenado to Play First Base
The San Diego Padres were the team besides the Arizona Diamondbacks that "mounted the heaviest pursuit" of Nolan Arenado, people briefed on the talks told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Padres already have Manny Machado entrenched at third base, so the Padres intended for Arenado to play first base. However, the Padres were unwilling to take on as much of Arenado's salary as the D-backs were. Arizona owes Arenado $1 million less than the White Sox gave left-hander Anthony Kay in the final two years of Arenado's contract. The Padres have payroll concerns, so they might have been trying to land Arenado for something close to the minimum salary. The 34-year-old has been on a three-year offensive decline. He had an xwOBA under .300 for the second straight year, and his exit velocity was in the bottom-10th percentile. Arenado is still strong defensively and makes a lot of contact, but moving to first base will make him even less attractive in fantasy.
Source: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
Source: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
