Being the professional competitor he is, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is preparing for the 2025 season despite serious trade rumors that have been lingering the entire winter. The Cardinals have actively been trying to deal Arenado, but between the financial wishes of the St. Louis front office and Arenado’s full no-trade clause, nothing has happened.
There have been numerous teams linked to a potential Arenado trade. In fact, Arenado has actually exercised his no-trade clause to block deals that would have sent him to the Houston Astros or Detroit Tigers. The Boston Red Sox were also listed as potential suitors until they inked infielder Alex Bregman to a massive short-term deal. The New York Yankees feel like an ideal trade partner with the Cardinals, and Arenado had the chance to showcase his value on Wednesday.
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Nolan Arenado struggles vs. Yankees could keep them from trading for him
On Wednesday, the Cardinals and Yankees squared off in a spring training matchup. This felt like a golden opportunity for Arenado to showcase his skill set for his potential future team. Unfortunately for him, Arenado did not make the most of his opportunity.
While we all know that Arenado’s defensive value remains high, there have been concerns about his bat after coming off the worst offensive season of his career. With the ridiculously high amount of money left on his contract, teams will not be interested in trading for Arenado unless he can prove that he is still a middle-of-the-order threat.
In three at-bats against the Yankees, Arenado went 0-3 and struck out twice. This performance certainly did him no favors in catching the eye of the Yankees. Arenado is now hitting .143 in this young spring, proving those concerns about his offense may actually be valid.
Under contract through his age 37 (2028) season, the Yankees are now less inclined to pursue Arenado in a trade unless they are able to unload starting pitcher Marcus Stroman in the deal. This is not very likely considering the financial plan John Mozeliak and the St. Louis Cardinals are trying to put in place for the 2025 season.
Mozeliak is between a rock and a hard place with Arenado.