Brian Cashman speaking
The New York Yankees have needs. Some have been prevalent over the past few months, while others are new after Gerrit Cole’s injury. While finding another starter would be the ideal plan for a Yankees team looking to win a World Series, they also need an infielder.
There so happens to be a team that could help them with both: The St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado, who are on deals that pay them $335 million, perhaps the biggest issue for the Yankees.
However, Zach Pressnell of FanSided proposed a deal that would see the Yankees trade for both. While he noted the financial constraints, the trade pitch makes sense if New York is willing to take on the money.
“Firstly, the Yankees have been connected to third baseman Nolan Arenado, but two things keep catching them up from landing a deal. First, Cashman doesn’t seem willing to eat much of the star’s contract. Secondly, Arenado reportedly hasn’t waived a no-trade clause for a deal to New York.
“The Yankees could also look to reunite with starting pitcher Sonny Gray as a replacement for Cole. Gray has been excellent for the last few seasons and the righty would provide a stable starter in a rotation of question marks. But what would a blockbuster deal look like in this situation?..
“This would be a huge hit to the payroll, but it would lessen the prospect capital to land the two stars. New York would likely be able to hold onto most of their top prospects, only dealing a few lower level guys away in the hypothetical deal,” Pressnell wrote.
Arenado Could Be the Issue
At this stage of his career, Arenado has his flaws. The last thing the New York Yankees want is to trade for a player who is past his prime, and that looks to be what Arenado is. The issue, however, is that there aren’t many options for the Yankees to pursue outside of him. Arenado also has a no-trade clause, which Jorge Castillo of ESPN noted.
“The Cardinals would certainly need to eat some of the money to facilitate a trade. It’s likely to happen at some point in 2025 — they agreed to a deal with the Houston Astros in December, only for Arenado, who has a full no-trade clause, to block the trade.
“Maybe it’ll be with the Yankees, who signed Arenado’s good friend and former Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt in December. But the Yankees are rolling with what they have for now,” Castillo wrote.
That no-trade clause could be an issue, as Arenado has the final say in where he ends up.
Is Gray Worth Trading For?
Gray has been a completely different pitcher since he left the New York Yankees. Is he Cole? Probably not, but again, the Yankees aren’t going to find many pitchers as talented as their injured ace.
Gray is still an ace-caliber arm, and if he’s willing to return to the Yankees and pitch for a team he didn’t find much success for, the idea makes sense.
However, the first time wasn’t pretty, and that does lead to some worries.
