Here's Why Cardinals-Yankees Blockbuster Trade For Nolan Arenado Won't Happen

The St. Louis Cardinals have accepted that superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado likely won't be traded before Opening Day after failing to find a suitor all offseason.

Unfortunately, Arenado's full no-trade clause limited the Cardinals to a handful of teams to choose from as they explored his market. The Boston Red Sox seemed to be the five-time Silver Slugger's final hope but after the signing of former Houston Astros slugger Alex Bregman, Nado must look elsewhere.

Boston's most-hated rival, the New York Yankees, have been linked to Arenado but it seems that the Bronx Bombers have zero interest in completing a blockbuster trade for the Cardinals fan favorite.

"Longtime star third baseman Nolan Arenado is still eminently available, and while word going around was that the Yankees were on his exclusive list of approved trade teams, sources say the Yankees aren’t interested for two reasons: 1) they suspect he’s on the decline, and 2) they have no loot left," New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Sunday. "They never got involved for Alex Bregman, either, as they didn’t think he fit their ballpark."

The Yankees have several third basemen to choose from, such as DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera. Both infielders are inferior to Arenado but will cost much less than the Cardinals' $64 million slugger.

"One Yankees player hopefully suggested the other day that Arenado could be imported (no, it wasn’t (Paul) Goldschmidt, his Cardinals buddy)," Heyman continued. "But that was never a consideration, even before the money ran out."

Not only are the Yankees concerned with keeping payroll at bay but they were also never interested in trading for Arenado, mainly due to his offensive regression over the past few seasons.

Arenado joining Goldschmidt in the Bronx before Opening Day isn't realistic. Despite being a potential future Hall of Fame candidate, the 10-time Gold Glove defender needs to reprove himself in 2025. Perhaps a solid first half of the season could land him on the trade block this summer.