The New York Yankees are in trouble. Luis Gil will be out for three months, Gerrit Cole is lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery, and Giancarlo Stanton will miss a chunk of time.
The Yankees need help with their lineup and with their pitching staff. Third base is also a bit of a weak spot for the Bronx Bombers with D.J. LeMahieu’s status uncertain.
Nate Hagerty of Sports Illustrated proposed the idea of New York giving the St. Louis Cardinals a call for Nolan Arenado.
“The Yankees have been linked to Arenado numerous times throughout the offseason but with the 10-time Gold Glove defender still having three years and $64 million remaining on his eight-year, $260 million contract, split between the Cardinals and his former team, the Colorado Rockies, the Bronx Bombers have been reluctant to make a deal,” Hagerty wrote.
Arenado hit .272/.325/.394 last season with 16 home runs, 71 RBI, a 2.5 WAR and a .719 OPS.
The numbers certainly weren’t bad, but they declined a bit in 2024. Still, playing in a different environment with a contender such as New York might help him out.
Arenado would also be reunited with his old Cardinals teammate Paul Goldschmidt if a deal got worked out.
Pitching is likely the biggest priority for the Yankees at the moment, but the need for a right-handed power bat can’t be ignored, and the Yankees could certainly use somebody like Arenado in their lineup if they want to make a return trip to the World Series.
Arenado is an eight-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, six-time Platinum Glove Award winner, and a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
The accolades are certainly strong, and if he can bounce back, he could be worth the investment for the Yankees. It will be interesting to see what New York decides to do.
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