Even with spring training in full swing, trade rumors are still swirling around Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals. And with the New York Yankees both a contender for his services and suddenly in need of another bat, perhaps it's time for the two parties to revisit their trade talks.
Giancarlo Stanton, the oft-injured but hard-hitting Yankees designated hitter, is dealing with an elbow injury, putting his Opening Day status in doubt. Stanton hasn't had a season completely untouched by injuries since 2018, so it would be foolish for the Yankees to simply expect him to be ready sometime in April.
The team should instead be proactive, and that means acquiring another bat that would help replace Stanton's power and not cause a roster crunch if and when he returns.
The Yankees reportedly offered the Cardinals Marcus Stroman in exchange for Arenado, and St. Louis shot it down. We don't know exactly what that deal looked like, but both teams' situations have grown more urgent since then, and it's time to revisit how that trade could be palatable for both teams.
New York still needs a third baseman. As much as the organization likes DJ LeMahieu, the reality is he's not near the player he once was and is no lock to even stay on the field. While Arenado has declined, he's coming off a season in which he hit .272 and played in 152 games. The Yankees would sign up for a 101 OPS+ from that position in a heartbeat. And if they're hell-bent on getting LeMahieu at bats, DH is open until Stanton returns.
Making the money work for a Nolan Arenado-Marcus Stroman trade
The good news for both sides is that the financials can be beneficial to each. Arenado is due $74 million over the next three years, while Stroman is due $36.5 million over the next two. No doubt the Yankees offered him as a way to partially offset Arenado's hefty price tag. The good news for the Cardinals in this deal is that they're out from Stroman's deal a year earlier than they would be with Arenado — significant for an organization staring down a rebuild.
We already know the Cardinals were willing to eat around $10 million of Arenado's contract to make a trade to Houston work before the 10-time gold glover shot that down. Knowing Hal Steinbrenner's reluctance to bloat payroll, it's reasonable that the Yankees might ask St. Louis to still foot some of the bill for Arenado in addition to taking on Stroman's salary. Maybe not $10 million, but something.
The Yankees still need to spice up their offer for the Cardinals
Related New York Yankees NewsArticle continues below
Simply coming back to St. Louis when the team is in danger of being unable to move Arenado before Opening Day isn't enough for the Yankees. Thankfully for New York, the organization has plenty more to offer in its farm system than the Astros did.
Someone like Arenado, a slugger in his mid-30s with a massive contract, isn't going to fetch one of the top prospects in the Yankees' system. The Yankees can, however, offer some intriguing pieces that could pique the Cardinals' interest.
New York decided last week to move No. 19 prospect Clayton Beeter to the bullpen after he spent most of his minor-league career as a starter.
“As we got through last year, [Beeter’s] fastball-slider mix is super powerful and is best-suited for relief,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. “We decided to lean into the swing-and-miss of the fastball at the top of the zone and the slider at the bottom. We thought it might even play up in short bursts.”
Beeter has struck out a third of the batters he's faced in the minors. If relief work gets him to reach back more on his fastball and further weaponize his slider, he can be an elite multi-inning bullpen option.
The Yankees still may need to offer more, and if they do, second baseman Roc Riggio in high-A ball has some promise. He only hit .221 in 104 games last year, but almost half of his hits went for extra bases, and he swiped 27 bags as well.
MLB.com compared him to Dustin Pedroia as a diminutive infielder with the strength to hit 20 home runs and speed to wreak havoc on the bases.
