St. Louis Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado has been the primary player on the trade block for the past few months, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change anytime soon.
Trading Arenado was the team’s top priority during the offseason, and they’ve stated as much multiple times. However, no deal has materialized, and it now seems far more likely that he will be the team’s starting third baseman on Opening Day.
Arenado has a no-trade clause, so he won’t be moving just anywhere. Initially, he was reportedly interested in a trade to several teams, including the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. However, Boston is no longer a fit after they signed Alex Bregman, and Arenado turned down a potential trade to Houston. The Dodgers, with their massive payroll, have been aggressive, but the Padres haven’t generated much buzz lately.
The Yankees have been an intriguing option, especially after the signing of Paul Goldschmidt, but there seems to be more speculation than genuine interest from New York. ESPN’s Jorge Castillo mentioned that, during Yankees Spring Training, it was clear that New York has “not been aggressive pursuers” of Arenado.
“Which leads to Nolan Arenado,” Castillo said. “The St. Louis Cardinals, in the nascent stages of a rebuild, have made the eight-time All-Star available very publicly for months, but the Yankees have not been aggressive pursuers. Arenado, who turns 34 in April and is coming off his worst major league season, is owed $74 million through 2027, with the Colorado Rockies on the hook to pay $5 million in each of the next two years.
“The Cardinals would certainly need to eat some of the money to facilitate a trade. It’s likely to happen at some point in 2025 — they agreed to a deal with the Houston Astros in December, only for Arenado, who has a full no-trade clause, to block the trade. Maybe it’ll be with the Yankees, who signed Arenado’s good friend and former Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt in December. But the Yankees are rolling with what they have for now.”
There’s been plenty of rumors and chatter online, but it doesn’t appear that the Yankees are going to make a move for Arenado anytime soon. With three years remaining on his $260 million contract, it seems likely that at least a portion of that deal will be spent in St. Louis.
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