This winter, the New York Yankees will have an extremely significant offseason. They have several top players entering free agency. Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres, and a few key bullpen players lead their free agent class.
Obviously, the top free agent is Juan Soto, and the Yankees will go as far as they can to re-sign him. However, there is a chance they will lose out on him, and New York must prepare a backup plan in case this happens.
One part of the backup plan would be to replace Torres at second base with another infielder. Adding a third baseman and moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to his natural position at second base would be ideal.
A Yankees-Cardinals trade that moves superstar infielder to the Bronx
Enter Nolan Arenado, a St. Louis Cardinals trade candidate.
ESPN source Jeff Passan recently discussed Arenado’s trade options this offseason.
“Another guy whose no-trade clause complicates matters, Arenado turns 34 in April and spent 2024 as a league-average hitter. Arenado is valuable — his glove at third still dazzles — but with $74 million remaining on the last three years of his contract (of which Colorado pays $10 million), the Cardinals would have to eat money, according to Passan.
With the Yankees, Arenado’s no-trade clause will almost certainly be waived in order to move to the Bronx. With the Cardinals likely eating a portion of Arenado’s salary, they should receive a solid prospect haul.
This deal would send Arenado and some cash to the Yankees in exchange for two top pitching prospects, Will Warren and Cade Smith.
Warren, 25, made his major league debut last season, with mixed success. Prior to it, Warren was a top minor league arm, specifically in 2022 and 2023. He slumped in 2024, but he still possesses several above-average pitch offerings, making him a valuable potential.
Smith, 22, was outstanding this season in his debut year of professional basketball. The right-handed pitcher threw 93.2 innings with a 3.65 ERA at Low-A and High-A. He features an exceptional fastball-slider combination, as well as a curveball and changeup.
Arenado would fit well in the Yankees’ infield and cost significantly less than free agency infielders Willy Adames and Alex Bregman. Adding Arenado would not cure the Yankees’ problems if they missed out on Soto, but it would be a solid start.
