Nolan Arenado made the three-hour trip to George M. Steinbrenner Field on Wednesday, but he went 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Sunday that while St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Arenado is still available and that there’s word going around that the Yankees are one of the teams he’d waive his no-trade clause for, they’re “out of loot.”
Another reason as to why Arenado isn’t believed to be on the Yankees’ radar is they believe he’s a “declining player.”
The 33-year-old is coming off his worst offensive season since his rookie season, hitting just 16 home runs with 71 RBI and a .719 OPS in 152 games — production not nearly worth the $21 million he’s due this year that the Cardinals are so desperately trying to move.
“You could do a swap between Arenado and [Marcus] Stroman,” former Mets GM Jim Duquette speculated on SNY.
The Yankees are continuing to try to find a trade partner for the veteran pitcher since he’s owed $18 million this season. New York wants to try to move that money, to free up their ability to add to the roster, but the Cardinals showed no interest in taking that contract on when the two sides spoke earlier this winter.
As for Arenado, he did his best to quell any rumors that he made the trip to Tampa as a “showcase” for the Yankees.
“I didn’t come here for that,” Arenado told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Day 3 of spring training. That wouldn’t be a good day to showcase myself. I’m not ready for that.”
Why Nolan Arenado would be a good fit
Right now, the Yankees’ third-base options are an aging and injury-prone DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza — who hasn’t been able to stay in the majors — and Jorbit Vivas, who hasn’t spent any time in the Show.
New York can’t go into the season thinking LeMahieu is their everyday third baseman, considering he played just 67 games a year ago, had no pop off his bat, and could barely move at third base.
Cabrera doesn’t have the experience of playing every day, but he has the most upside out of the group.
Peraza’s glove is likely better than the rest, but his bat hasn’t caught up to the speed of MLB just yet.
Vivas only hit .225 last year in Triple-A, making him the worst-case scenario for the position.
Arenado brings a veteran presence and is still one of the best gloves third base has ever seen, considering he’s won 10 Gold Glove awards and six Platinum Gloves.
He’s declining as a hitter, but at the very least, he’ll offer elite defense to a team that needs security at the hot corner.
The Colorado Rockies are still paying some of the contract and the Cardinals are looking to get younger. This probably won’t be considered a possibility until the Yankees cave and are willing to pay some of Stroman’s contract, but that’s unlikely.
Someone in spring training may emerge as the best third base option, but as of right now it’s up for grabs and if the Yankees can strike a deal with St. Louis for Arenado, it would move their World Series needle in a positive direction.
