St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado has been floating around in MLB rumors for weeks, with the All-Star slugger wanting out of St. Louis and the club very willing to trade him. After the Boston Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, the New York Yankees were floated as a new potential landing spot.
Arenado wanted to play for Boston but previously blocked a trade to the Houston Astros in December. He carries a no-trade clause and the 34-year-old has made it clear there are only a few teams he’d approve of being moved to. One of those is believed to be the Yankees.
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- Nolan Arenado contract (Spotrac): $21 million salary in 2025, $16 million salary in 2026, $15 million salary in 2027
New York has added some sources of run production this winter to fill the void left by Juan Soto’s departure. The club traded for All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger and signed first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. While there’s more depth in the Yankees lineup, that also could now be tested with the Giancarlo Stanton injury. It seemingly would also create a dire need for an All-Star hitter, especially one who could provide quality defense at third base.
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However, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees want no part of Arenado. New York’s front office reportedly believes that Arenado is amid a noticeable decline that makes him not worth acquiring, especially with $74 million remaining on his contract.
There are plenty of MLB stats that back up the Yankees’ evaluation. Defensively, Arenado went from ranking in the 96th percentile for Fielding Run Value (11) and he placed in the 86th percentile (seven) last season. At the plate, Arenado’s OPS dropped from .848 with a .273/.335/.513 slash line from 2021-’22 to .719 last season with a .272/.325/.394 line.
Even if Arenado wants to be part of the Yankees lineup in 2025, the feeling doesn’t appear to be shared by the organization. As a result, St. Louis will be heading into a potentially ugly 2025 season with its All-Star third baseman unhappy with the state of the team. Unfortunately for both parties, there just doesn’t appear to be a strong trade market for Arenado now and his no-trade clause will only make moving him even harder.
