Insider thinks Nolan Arenado trade is still a possibility
The 2025 MLB season is just around the corner, but St. Louis Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado, whose name has constantly been mixed in trade rumors, is still with the Cards. That being said, there is still time for the Cardinals to move Arenado, with the New York Yankees remaining a potential landing spot for him.
Arenado would have already been preparing in spring training with a different team had he not blocked the Cardinals’ attempt to send him to the Houston Astros last December by exercising his full no-trade clause privilege. However, an Arenado trade before the deadline is said to “likely” take place before the 2025 deadline, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN.
“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,” wrote Castillo.
“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.”
The 33-year-old Arenado is looking to bounce back from a letdown campaign. In 2024, the eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner hit just .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs through 152 games. His 101 OPS+ that season was his lowest in a non-COVID year since his rookie season with the Rockies.
As for the Yankees, their third-base options include the likes of DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas, though, it’s worth noting that LeMahieu might be out for a while after hurting his calf in a Grapefruit League game last Saturday versus the Astros.
In 2024, the Yankees ranked just 18th in the big leagues with a third-base wOBA of .299 and only 17th with a third-base wRC+ of 94, per FanGraphs. Jazz Chisholm Jr. led all Yankees third baseman with at least 50 plate appearances with a wRC+ of 130, but he’s now expected to play second base for New York following the departure of Gleyber Torres.
Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He’s a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.
