Throughout the offseason, the New York Yankees have been linked to St. Louis Cardinals third baseman and future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals are reportedly looking to offload the remaining three years and $74 million on Arenado’s contract, while the Yankees continue exploring infield upgrades after acquiring former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt. Earlier this offseason, New York reportedly offered pitcher Marcus Stroman in exchange for Arenado, but the Cardinals declined the proposal.
With less than a month before spring training begins, an MLB insider has weighed in on the ongoing rumors surrounding Arenado. Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch of MLB.com shared his thoughts on SNY, stating, “I keep waiting for them to come back around on Nolan Arenado because that’s somebody that the Cardinals are motivated to move here before Opening Day. I know that stalled out a little bit.”
Arenado would provide a significant upgrade over the oft-injured DJ LeMahieu, who played just 67 games in 2024 and struggled at the plate with a .204/.269/.259 slash line, two home runs, a 51 OPS+, and -1.6 WAR. Hoch also noted that “The Yankees right now would have DJ LeMahieu in the infield. I know a big part of that is moving Marcus Stroman potentially, that contract, that salary, so maybe there’s some movement there that happens.”
If the Yankees manage to acquire Arenado, their projected infield would feature him at third base, Goldschmidt at first, Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second, and Anthony Volpe at shortstop. Over his 12-year career with the Cardinals and Colorado Rockies, Arenado has earned eight All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves, and amassed 341 home runs with a .285/.342/.515 slash line, a 120 OPS+, and 56.7 WAR.
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