Yankees Should Avoid Trading For Cardinals Star

The New York Yankees have been linked to St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado for a long time.

Trade buzz connecting Arenado to the Yanks won’t stop before July 31, especially with New York recently DFA’ing infielder DJ LeMahieu. And while Arenado has shown he’s unafraid to exercise his no-trade clause, many people believe he’d be open to joining the Yankees, both for a reunion with old pal Paul Goldschmidt and for the chance to add perhaps the only thing missing from his Hall of Fame resume: a World Series ring.

Arenado’s the type of talent that any team would love to have, even with him being past his prime. It wouldn’t be difficult to logically support the Yankees pursuing Arenado, but ultimately, he’s an asset they should avoid.

It’s not that the Yankees and their bountiful pockets would be bothered by Arenado’s bloated contract over the next two seasons ($16 million in 2026, $15 million in 2027). More so, the Cardinals would likely demand significant prospect capital from New York for Arenado, and given that Arenado hasn’t been elite at the plate this year, the Yankees would be better off saving that capital to go after a more explosive bat.

Entering Saturday, Arenado was hitting .246 on the year with a .693 OPS, 10 home runs, and 42 RBI in 317 at-bats. Again, that’s respectable production that any team could use, but for the cost that St. Louis will feel entitled to ask for Arenado (a player they absolutely don’t have to trade), there are better options out there for New York, including opting to platoon third base with what they already have in-house.

It wouldn’t be GM malpractice by any means if Brian Cashman ended up overpaying for Arenado, especially for defensive reinforcements, but there are better deals out there for the Yankees, including potentially for Arizona Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suárez.