The New York Yankees made a shocking, but much-needed, move this week when they released longtime infielder D.J. LeMahieu from his contract. The move was made for the Yankees to play Jazz Chisholm Jr. at his more natural position at second base. LeMahieu was put on second because he was no longer physically able to play third. With that, and a need for more versatility on the bench, the Yankees decided to cut ties with LeMahieu.
Shortly after the move, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made it loudly known that they are looking for an upgrade at third base by the trade deadline on July 31. There are obvious names the Yankees could target, so who could they feasibly get? Well, there is one name they may not get, and that's St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
According to The Athletic MLB insider Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), since the Yankees are set to pay LeMahieu $22 million through the 2026 season, he sees the team more likely to target a rental player like Eugenio Suárez of the Arizona Diamondbacks than a player like Arenado or Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies.
"Suárez would be owed about $5 million at the deadline. Arenado would be owed more than $10 million this season plus $27 million next season, McMahon about $4 million this season and $16 million in both 2026 and ’27," writes Rosenthal.
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Nolan Arenado deemed an unlikely option for Yankees by MLB insider
That is understandable. By outright releasing LeMahieu, they are on the hook for the $22 million remaining on his contract. Then you look at Arenado, who is set to make $10 million more this season and $27 million next season. That doesn't seem feasible, despite the fact this is the Yankees we are talking about.
There is some unpredictability as to what the Cardinals will do at the trade deadline. They are currently 50-44 as of the morning of July 11, 5.5 games behind first of the NL Central lead and one game back of the third NL Wild Card spot. Could they opt to go for a postseason push, or stick with their plan of retooling the roster. If they opt for the latter, would a team be interested in Arenado?
This season, Arenado has recorded a .245 batting average, a .305 on-base percentage, a .389 slugging percentage, 10 home runs, 39 runs, 42 RBI, and 77 hits through 314 at-bats (83 games).
The Yankees will need to find some sort of upgrade to man third base, as they currently can't expect to contend for a World Series with a depth chart of Oswald Peraza, Jorbit Vivas, and JC Escarra. While Suárez is the top option available, the Diamondbacks have indicated they have no plans to sell at the trade deadline, and if they did, they'd probably want top dollar for an All-Star set to hit free agency this winter.
For Yankees fans wanting the team to get a big name like Arenado, it oesn't seem like it will happen due to the LeMahieu contract situation.