After failing to sign Juan Soto, the New York Yankees have aggressively pivoted in their plans to build a 2025 team.
They have made two trades and two significant free-agent signings, but they still have a significant question mark at third base. The Yankees still need a third baseman heading into Christmas and they may be looking at another stalemate.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal suggested that the availability of third-baseman Nolan Arenado is holding up the signing of top third-base free agent Alex Bregman. The Yankees have been linked to both players.
“A team could bet on Arenado bouncing back, rationalizing he would be a better gamble than Bregman at a guarantee that could approach or exceed $200 million,” Rosenthal wrote.
While Arenado, 33, has declined offensively in recent years, so has Bregman, who is three years younger. The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported that the Cardinals offered $5 million per season to reduce Arenado’s remaining three-year contract in a proposal with the Astros. Arenado squashed that deal.
The Yankees are not on Arenado’s pre-approved list of teams with which he would approve a trade. The addition of his close friend and former Cardinals teammate Paul Goldschmidt, however, could help convince him to waive that clause in his contract.
Committing about $49 million for three years of Arenado at third than committing $200 million to a longer deal with Bregman might be more agreeable to owner Hal Steinbrenner.
The Yankees could also just settle for an internal candidate with a combination of Jazz Chisholm, Jr., Oswaldo Cabrera, and DJ LeMahieu used at third base.
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