The St. Louis Cardinals are in a very interesting spot. They are in contention, but not sure which direction they’re going to take at the trade deadline.
They could buy, sell, hold, or mix buying and selling together. How they play in July will dictate their strategy.
Last offseason, they attempted to trade Nolan Arenado, but ultimately failed to do so. He nixed a trade to the Houston Astros, and the Boston Red Sox, another team that showed interest, signed Alex Bregman.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post noted that the New York Yankees might be a fit, but that New York isn’t sure of him.
“[Arenado would] happily join old friends Paul Goldschmidt and [D.J.] LeMahieu. But Yankees higher-ups don’t love how he’s trending offensively, and he has $42M to go through 2026,” Heyman wrote.
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The Yankees did not have any interest in Arenado last offseason, and it’s unclear if they have changed their opinion on the matter. However, Arenado would be an upgrade defensively and would benefit from the hitter-friendly dimensions of Yankee Stadium.
New York could then move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, while St. Louis could open up an everyday spot for either Nolan Gorman or Thomas Saggese.
St. Louis could also clear some payroll space if they were to ship Arenado to New York. But Arenado’s no-trade clause complicates things, even if he is interested in reuniting with Goldschmidt.
He ultimately chose to stay in St. Louis last offseason, and if the Cardinals remain in contention, chances of him waiving that clause are slim.
Still, it will be interesting to see where the Cardinals end up going this year and what they’ll do at the deadline.
More MLB: Yankees 3-player trade pitch brings Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado to New York
