While the St. Louis Cardinals have already stated their intent to acquire veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado this winter, it appears the Yankees shouldn’t be considered the frontrunner in those trade talks.
According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the Yankees currently believe Arenado is “not a fit” for the 2025 roster, with the rationale centering around his significant price tag and a disappointing 2024 campaign.
They reportedly value other position players more, and the free agent first baseman Christian Walker seems to be at the top of that list.
Arenado, who turns 34 in April, is coming off a season to forget — at least by his standards. The eight-time All-Star hit just 16 home runs for the Cardinals in 2024, the fewest since his rookie season in 2013, and produced a WAR of 2.5 in 152 games. The troubling outage also produced a .719 OPS and 71 RBI, his lowest full-season marks since 2014.
It’s also unclear how much money the Cardinals would need in a trade. Arenado is still owed $74 million over the next three seasons, and while he has expressed his desperation to join a championship contender in recent years, the back end of his massive contract complicates matters. Another obstacle is that he has a complete no-trade clause.
Arenado’s agent, Joel Wolfe, recently told reporters that the five-time Silver Slugger is open to switching positions to facilitate a trade. While the Yankees have needs at both first and third base, Arenado has been playing excellent defense at the hot corner for a decade. He has received ten Gold Glove and six Platinum Glove awards in his twelve-year career.
At this point, the Yankees must harbor doubts about Arenado’s ability to regain the pop that once helped him hit 30-plus home runs with 100 RBI in seven consecutive seasons. As for the Cardinals, they are entering a rebuilding phase that makes it unlikely they will compete for a postseason appearance in 2025. They don’t have much leverage.
