The New York Yankees have done an incredible job at picking up the pieces after superstar outfielder Juan Soto opted to sign a deal in free agency with the New York Mets. The only hole the Yankees haven’t filled is the one left by the departure of Gleyber Torres. Torres signed a deal with the Detroit Tigers, leaving the Yankees searching for an infielder to replace him. MLB.com’s John Denton recently suggested the Yankees would enter the trade sweepstakes for veteran infielder Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals. Arenado has been difficult for the Cardinals to trade due to his contract.
“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,” 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.”
This would be the dream move for the Bronx Bombers. Not only could they acquire him for relatively cheap, but the Cardinals would likely be willing to eat a large chunk of the deal just to move on. It St. Louis eats half of Arenado’s contract, the Yankees could likely bring him in for a prospect ranked in the back half of their top 30. This would be a huge win for Aaron Boone’s squad.