The St. Louis Cardinals haven’t made any significant moves this winter to upgrade their big-league roster and remain stagnant in the trade market.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak made it sound as if several stars would be dealt this winter following his announcement of an organizational reset last fall. Sadly, he has yet to complete any trades, with Opening Day just a few weeks away.
Whether a deal happens now or at this summer’s trade deadline, perhaps the New York Yankees could soon complete a blockbuster with the Cardinals that’ll be dually advantageous for both clubs.
“The other course the Yankees could take involves either signing J.D. Martinez, who is reportedly on their radar, or trading for Nolan Arenado, who they tried to get in December,” Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer wrote Wednesday as he explained how New York can avoid a World Series hangover after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. “Whereas signing Martinez would risk putting him and a healthy (Giancarlo) Stanton on a collision course, trading for Arenado would at least upgrade the Yankees’ infield defense,” Rymer continued. “And there may be a way to get him from the St. Louis Cardinals in an annual average value-neutral deal, whether it involved the Cards eating money and/or taking on [sideways glance at (DJ) LeMahieu] one of the Yankees’ bad contracts.”
There have been conflicting rumors about whether the Yankees have shown any interest in trading for 10-time Gold Glove defender Arenado this offseason. Still, the Bronx Bomber’s options at third base are far inferior to the Cardinals’ eight-time All-Star.
“Come the summer trading season, it would be a dereliction of duty if (George) Steinbrenner did not let more financial line out for general manager Brian Cashman to go after the big fish,” Rymer continued. “The 2025 Yankees are, after all, supposed to be a World Series contender. And not just any World Series contender. This one is caught between a 15-year championship drought and the real possibility that the sun is about to set on (Aaron) Judge’s and (Gerrit) Cole’s primes.”
Considering how recently outspoken the Yankees front office has been against adding to payroll this offseason, it’s safe to say Arenado joining former Cardinals fan favorite Paul Goldschmidt in the Bronx before Opening Day is highly unlikely.
However, if five-time Silver Slugger Arenado returns to his old self offensively in the first half of this season, perhaps a trade between the Yankees and Cardinals could be completed this summer. Doing so would eliminate Nado’s expensive contract from St. Louis’ payroll while providing New York with a six-time Platinum Glove third baseman.
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