“A sticking point in any Arenado deal could come down to how much of the $64 million remaining on Arenado’s contract the Cardinals are willing to absorb,” Cardinals MLB.com beat writer John Denton wrote. “Initial trade talks in early January broke down when the Cardinals refused to pay as much as $20 million toward the balance of Arenado’s contract, a source said. After failing to make much trade progress elsewhere throughout January, the Cardinals reengaged the Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers about possible restructured deals for the star third baseman.”

Getting Arenado to Boston or elsewhere should be a priority in the coming weeks to keep everyone on schedule. Time is ticking for a deal, with spring training underway next week in Fort Myers, Fla., for the Red Sox.