The New York Yankees were never going to take losing Juan Soto lying down, were they?
In only 10 days since Soto signed with the New York Mets, the Yankees have made a trio of big moves. They signed two-time All-Star starting pitcher Max Fried, traded for two-time All-Star reliever Devin Williams, then made another trade for two-time All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger (sense a theme here?)
With Bellinger likely to play some center field and first base, the Yankees still have to add at least one more infielder. That could be at any position besides shortstop, where Anthony Volpe will continue starting every day. How about a future Hall of Famer to play beside him?
Nolan Arenado has been rumored to be available all winter, as his St. Louis Cardinals enter a rebuild that they’re not fully calling a rebuild. With three years left on the $260 million deal he originally signed with the Colorado Rockies, Arenado is a bit of an albatross on the Cardinals’ payroll.
Payroll is a secondary concern to the Bronx Bombers, who are itching to get over the sting of their World Series loss. Recently, Drew VonScio of Newsweek predicted that the Yankees would land Arenado in a blockbuster trade as part of a “perfect” offseason in the wake of losing Soto.
“(Brian) Cashman will need to make one more trade this offseason and grab Nolan Arenado from the St. Louis Cardinals. Arenado has three years of control left at an average annual value of $17.3 million per year.
“A hypothetical trade would involve the Yankees sending prospects such as Cade Smith (Yankees’ No. 12 prospect) and Zach Messinger (Yankees’ No. 18 prospect) to St. Louis. Arenado wasn’t his former self last year, but there is hope he can bounce back.”
Arenado, 33, is coming off his worst season in 11 years, dating back to his rookie year in Colorado. He had just a .719 OPS and 101 OPS+, while failing to win a Gold Glove for the second straight year after a ridiculous run of 10 in a row to begin his career.
A motivated Arenado, who hasn’t tasted playoff baseball for the last two years, could be a dream addition for the Yankees if his hitting ticks back up. And even if he’s still just a 2.5-win player, the defense and veteran leadership will be big pluses for this New York squad.
More MLB: Yankees projected to add 26-HR slugger to ‘dream lineup’ after Cody Bellinger deal