Rivalry renewed: Are Yankees trying to bait Boston into big Nolan Arenado mistake?

Technically speaking, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox won't get a chance to renew acquaintances until June 6, when the two teams are set to meet for the first of 13 times during the 2025 regular season. But real fans know that, no matter what the schedule says, this rivalry never actually takes a day off — especially when the opportunity presents itself to weaken your arch nemesis on the field.

Which brings us to Nolan Arenado. The St. Louis Cardinals third baseman remains stuck in limbo, his current team not exactly thrilled to have him (and the three years and $64 million left on his contract) and no one else around the league exactly thrilled at the prospect of trading for him. The most likely landing spot at this point seems to be Boston, which just so happens to be in the market for a big right-handed bat and has already earned the approval of Arenado and his full no-trade clause.

Of course, whether the Red Sox should trade for Arenado is an open question. Boston already has a third baseman in Rafael Devers, and it would represent a major expense for a front office that hasn't been big on throwing money around in recent years. The fit isn't great, which is why the team has been eying Alex Bregman instead. But Bregman has suitors of his own, and spring training has already begun; with each passing day, it gets more and more likely that Craig Breslow blinks and bites the bullet on a deal that could backfire — and it seems like Brian Cashman and the Yankees are happy to play some small role in making that happen.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.

Brian Cashman happy to let Cardinals use Yankees as bait in Nolan Arenado talks with Red Sox

Of course, New York could also use some help at third base, where it's relying on DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza as things stand. But according to Yankees insiders, Arenado has never been much of an option, with the YES Network's Jack Curry, SNY's Andy Martino and ESPN's Jeff Passan recently reporting that the team hasn't so much as considered the idea of a trade with St. Louis.

Which makes a recent story by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand so interest. Feinsand claims that the Yankees are still "kicking the tires" on Arenado, directly contradicting what some very well-sourced insiders are saying. Are all of those insiders simply wrong, or is Feinsand getting his information from somewhere other than the Yankees front office — somewhere like, say, the Cardinals, who have every reason to try and built some leverage as they wait for Boston to meet their price.

The latter certainly seems more likely. And if true, it's some A+ gamesmanship from Cashman, who could easily have shot this rumor down but instead seems content to be a pawn in John Mozeliak's game. Arenado is a wonky fit for the Red Sox, both on the field and on their payroll, and he'd no doubt be thrilled to see him head to Boston. If he can help ever so slightly to make that happen, all the better.