While the St. Louis Cardinals have already expressed their intentions to shop veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado this winter, it seems that the Yankees shouldn’t be considered the frontrunner in those trade conversations.
According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the Yankees currently believe that Arenado is “not a fit” for the 2025 roster, with the rationale centered around his sizable price tag and underwhelming 2024 campaign.
They reportedly value other position players more, and free-agent first baseman Christian Walker appears to be atop that list.
Arenado, who turns 34 in April, is coming off a season to forget — at least to 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 2.5 WAR in 152 games. The troubling power outage also yielded a .719 OPS and 71 RBI, his lowest mark over a full season since 2014.
It’s also unclear how much money the Cardinals would need to eat in a trade. Arenado is still owed $74 million over the next three seasons, and while he’s voiced his desperation in joining a championship contender in recent years, the back end of his mammoth contract complicates matters. Another impediment is that he wields a full no-trade clause.
Arenado’s agent, Joel Wolfe, recently told reporters that the five-time Silver Slugger is open to switching positions in order to facilitate a trade. While the Yankees have needs at both first base and third base, Arenado has spent a decade playing stellar defense at the hot corner. He’s received 10 Gold Glove and six Platinum Glove awards in his 12-year career.
At the moment, the Yankees must harbor doubts about Arenado’s ability to regain the pop that once helped him hit 30-plus homers with 100 RBI in seven straight full seasons. As for the Cardinals, they’re entering a retooling phase that makes them unlikely to compete for a postseason appearance in 2025. They don’t hold much leverage.