Latest list of Nolan Arenado suitors make the Yankees the glaringly obvious choice

The New York Yankees’ search for an infielder has been a roller coaster ride of disappointment ever since letting Gleyber Torres walk earlier this offseason. GM Brian Cashman went from Alex Bregman, to Nolan Arenado, to a cavalcade of subpar candidates before finally resigning himself to the team's internal options.

Considering that those internal options currently stand at DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza, that would seem to be a mistake. Luckily, desperation from St. Louis Cardinals’ GM John Mozeliak to unload Arenado’s contract might be working to New York's advantage.

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The Yankees stand out among Arenado three potential suitors

While the remaining teams searching for a third baseman were actively concentrating on Bregman, Arenado’s market appeared to be dead, with only the Boston Red Sox appearing to keep the flame alive. With no real competition for his third baseman, Mozeliak had no leverage in negotiations. It was up to him to build a market.

According to MLB.com’s John Denton, the Cardinals have done just that, re-engaging with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Yankees in addition to fielding interest from Boston. But of the three teams Mozeliak has engaged with, the Yankees have the most compelling argument.

The Dodgers have Max Muncy at third and after a second straight offseason splurge, they won’t likely increase spending just for the sake of it. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have been heavily pursuing Bregman, whom the Yankees have given up on. This offers New York a chance to grab Arenado. The one thing complicating matters is Arenado’s no-trade clause, which he's already used to reject a trade to the Houston Astros. Arenado has voiced a desire to play for the Red Sox, which might prove counterproductive to any effort Cashman exerts in trading for him.

New York already has Arenado’s teammate, Paul Goldschmidt, which might give them some leverage in bringing Arenado aboard. But Cashman may need to act fast. If Bregman is signed before Arenado, his market might become more aggressive — especially if the Red Sox strike out.

The Yankees have several decent options to send to St. Louis such as Will Warren, Chase Hampton and Roderick Arias, among others. However, Arenado won’t cost much in terms of prospects given Moleziak’s strong motivation to unload him and the fact that he has been forced to re-engage with teams that lost interest, which likely means the price for Arenado is even lower.

Arenado posted a slash line of .272/.325/.394 with just 16 home runs last season, a steep decline from where his production was only two years in the past. Even so, his bat would offer an improvement to the Yankee batting order and his still-reliable glove would solidify a remarkable infield defensive alignment with him at third, Anthony Volpe at shortstop, Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second and fellow a Gold Glover in Goldschmidt at first. Arenado is owed $52 million over the next three seasons before hitting free agency, but the Yankees would be able to offset a decent portion of that number by sending Marcus Stroman ack to St. Louis in a potential deal.