The New York Yankees have a need at third base, and one insider believes they may trade for an eight-time All-Star.
According to New York Post insider Jon Heyman, the Mets may consider trading for Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals.
“The Cardinals will consider trading 3B Nolan Arenado, as Katie Woo of The Athletic first reported,” Heyman stated in his story. “Arenado could fit the Yankees.”
Arenado is in the fifth year of his eight-year, $260 million contract. The outstanding infielder has won eight All-outstanding games, ten Gold Gloves, and five Silver Sluggers.
The 33-year-old would be New York’s primary third baseman and provide solid defense at the hot corner. Although his bat isn’t as strong as it once was, he may still be an average hitter in the Yankees’ lineup.
Arenado batted.272 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs last season.
Cardinals Looking to Trade Arenado
St. Louis made an impact by trading for Arenado in 2021. It was a blockbuster deal, but with the Cardinals aiming to rebuild, MLB insider Mark Feinsand believes the organization may trade Arenado.
“We’ve started to hear some whispers about Nolan Arenado being traded, and given the state of the Cardinals, that could gain some steam as the winter progresses,” said Feinsand.
According to Cardinals reporter Katie Woo of The Athletic, St. Louis may consider moving Arenado. However, she is unsure whether the Cardinals will be allowed to terminate his contract.
“Arenado’s situation is less clear, though even if he does prefer to be traded, there is no guarantee he will be,” according to Woo. “His significant contract and performance deterioration over the last two years, along with his full no-trade provision, leaves little space for negotiations. Trading Arenado would free up third base for Donovan and Gorman (who came up through the Cardinals organization as a third baseman).
According to Woo, moving Arenado will allow St. Louis to develop younger players at third base.
Yankees Focused on Soto
Before New York does anything in the offseason, Juan Soto will be the first domino to fall.
Soto is the top free agent available, and the Yankees want to keep the talented outfielder.
“We certainly have an interest in retaining him and we’ll put our best foot forward there,” Brian Cashman, our general manager, told reporters. “That will either result in us retaining him or signing him back. If we are unable to do so, we will be compelled to change our course. And if we can’t, there are plenty of other players in the market who can help this roster in a variety of ways. Clearly, that pressure point is not on us today. But it exists in the market every winter, so those are the difficult decisions you must make.”
The Yankees were one of six teams who planned talks with Soto’s agent, Scott Boras.
Soto is projected to get a 13-year deal worth more than $700 million in free agency.
Soto batted.288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs in 157 games with the Yankees in 2024. In the playoffs, he batted.327 with four home runs and nine RBI
