The New York Yankees have a problem in the infield right now. Second baseman Gleyber Torres is a free agent and the Yankees don't have an internal solution for him at second base.
But the Yankees can bring in a third baseman and move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base. There has been speculation that New York could bring in Houston Astros free agent Alex Bregman, but I believe there's a trade candidate that fits better.
The St. Louis Cardinals may look to move their third baseman Nolan Arenado. The Yankees would be the perfect fit and it's one of the destinations that Arenado would likely waive his no-trade clause for.
Here's the trade that would send Arenado to the Bronx:
- New York Yankees receive: 3B Nolan Arenado
- St. Louis Cardinals receive: SS/2B Roderick Arias (No. 4 prospect), LHP Brock Selvidge (No. 7 prospect), RHP Trystan Vrieling (No. 28 prospect)
Aaron Boone's team struggled with infield defense last season. Adding Arenado, a multi-time Gold Glove winner, would provide much better defense. It would also move Chisholm over to his natural position of second base.
The trio of Arias, Selvidge, and Vrieling would provide the Cardinals with quite a solid kickstart to their rebuild.
Arias, 20, slashed .233/.335/.393 last season. It was the young infielder's first full season of pro ball after playing 31 and 27 games in his first two years of rookie ball, respectively.
Selvidge, 22, made 16 starts at the Double-A level last season. He posted a 4.25 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 84.2 innings. Walks were more of an issue than usual, but his pitch arsenal is still quite impressive.
Vrierling, 24, was solid in 25 starts last season. He went 13-7 with a 4.58 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 147.1 innings. He projects as a middle-inning relief pitcher down the road.
It'll be tough for the Cardinals to find a package of prospects better than this one due to Arenado's no-trade clause. As they look to begin their rebuild, trading the veteran third baseman is a key piece of the puzzle.
