This story originally appeared as part of Sunday’s MLB notes. Read the full column here.

MLB notes: Six-man rotation? Shorter bullpen? How should the Red Sox manage the staff?

Over the past few weeks, one of the most commonly discussed storylines surrounding the MLB offseason has been whether or not the St. Louis Cardinals will trade third baseman Nolan Arenado. The 10-time Gold Glove winner is expected to be moved in order to help facilitate the club’s upcoming rebuild, and lately there have been persistent rumors that Arenado could wind up in Boston.

Though the 33-year-old’s offensive performance has declined in recent years, Arenado is still exactly the kind of right-handed pull hitter the Red Sox are looking for and remains one of the best defensive players in the game. The problem is the Red Sox already have Rafael Devers ensconced at third base, so accommodating both would be a challenge roster-wise.

One person who is uniquely qualified to weigh in on Arenado, however, is Trevor Story. The two played five seasons together with the Colorado Rockies and remain close.

Asked for his thoughts about the prospect of the Red Sox acquiring Arenado, Story offered a nuanced perspective.

“Everyone knows that we’re pretty close, he’s one of my good friends, and this is a unique opportunity. We talk about baseball a lot, I’ll keep those conversations between us but we do have a really good third baseman in Raffy Devers,” Story said. “That’ll obviously be up to someone else to figure out how it works, that’s not my job to talk about that, but obviously just the chance of that happening is exciting for everyone. I’ve played around him a lot and he’s as good as it gets. The intensity that he brings to a team is really beneficial and I think he would thrive at Fenway.”

Story said that when the two were teammates Arenado always set the tone in the infield, and that his approach helped mold Story into the player he is today. Story has since brought that approach with him to Boston, one that he’s now trying to impart on his younger teammates as they look to help turn the club’s infield defense around.

He also said there’s no doubt in his mind Arenado can still be a difference-maker offensively even though his overall production was roughly league average last season, and that playing at Fenway Park could be just what the doctor ordered.

“He’s had a lot of success at Fenway. He’s told me he loves coming through there and feeling the energy. Any right-hander that pulls the ball in the air is a great profile for Fenway and that’s what he does with the best of them,” Story said. “It’s as simple as that, there’s not much in depth stuff to talk about, but he hits the ball hard in the air and plays well at Fenway.”

Realistically, if the Red Sox were to acquire Arenado they would either have to move Devers off third base and open up a spot at another position, or they would have to move Arenado to second base, which wouldn’t make sense given Devers’ comparative lack of defensive ability.

Story said it’s not his job to figure stuff like that out and doesn’t want to comment on the logistics, but he made a point to emphasize that for him, it’s not an issue of choosing between Devers and Arenado. For him, it’s simply about making the team better and bringing in as many talented players as possible.

“Raffy’s the face, man. He’s our best player. I think it’s as simple as we always want good players,” Story said. “Nolan’s made it known that Boston’s a place he’d love to be, but it’s not any of the players here sitting here saying we’d rather have this guy or we’d rather have that guy. Raffy’s the guy, this is his team, it will always be his team. That’s something to make clear, but like I said, when a Hall of Fame player is reaching out wanting to be on your team, that’s something you have to entertain.”