The Yankees are not pursuing Nolan Arenado
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Yankees appear to be entirely uninterested in pursuing a trade for 10-time Gold Glove Award winner Nolan Arenado.
Sherman mentioned, “I couldn’t find anybody with the Yankees who would say, yeah, we’re interested in him.”
The Yankees were reportedly considering a move for Arenado shortly after signing first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal. Arenado and Goldschmidt had played together for the past four seasons with the Cardinals, but both have seen their performance decline over time.
Arenado would have been a strong defensive addition to the Yankees, but his contract may have been a deterrent given his recent dip in offensive production. Last season, he hit only 16 home runs with St. Louis and still has three years and $74 million remaining on his contract.
The Yankees will pivot to target someone else in the market
Instead, the Yankees are likely to shift their focus elsewhere to fill their infield gap. A reunion with Gleyber Torres is off the table, as he has signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers.
Currently, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the team’s third baseman, although he could easily shift back to his natural position of second base if the Yankees acquire another third baseman. However, their options are limited, as it doesn’t seem like they are close to reaching a deal with free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman.
As a result, it seems more likely that the Yankees will turn to their internal options to fill the infield gap. Oswaldo Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu, and Oswald Peraza are among the players already on the roster who could step in.
The Yankees have made moves to strengthen other areas of their roster after failing to re-sign Juan Soto. In addition to the Goldschmidt signing, they traded for outfielder Cody Bellinger and closer Devin Williams, and signed starting pitcher Max Fried to a long-term contract.
With plenty of offseason remaining before Spring Training begins in late February, the Yankees are optimistic about addressing a key area of their team ahead of the regular season.
