St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado remains at the center of trade rumors, and his actions on Wednesday only added to the speculation.
Despite having the option to take two days off, Arenado made the unusual choice to drive four hours to play in a road spring training game against the New York Yankees. This sparked widespread discussion that he might be trying to showcase himself to the Yankees, a team linked to him in trade rumors during the offseason.
However, Arenado quickly dismissed the speculation, explaining that he wanted to catch up with former teammates Paul Goldschmidt and DJ LeMahieu while also staying on track with his spring training routine.
“Day 3 of spring training isn’t exactly the right time to showcase myself. I’m not ready for that,” Arenado said, as reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Arenado struggled at the plate in Wednesday’s game, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, and acknowledged that his timing is still a work in progress.
Trade speculation continues for several reasons. The Yankees’ current third base situation is far from ideal, making Arenado a logical fit. While he holds a no-trade clause, he might be willing to waive it for a move to the reigning American League champions.
However, the Yankees have yet to show strong interest. One possible reason is their payroll situation—they are already slightly over the $301 million luxury tax threshold, and based on recent comments from owner Hal Steinbrenner, they may be hesitant to take on additional financial commitments.
Arenado is owed around $60 million over the next three seasons, though the Cardinals would likely cover part of his salary to facilitate a deal. Even so, the Yankees might not be willing to absorb the remaining cost.
Recent reports have linked another AL contender to Arenado, but trade talks have not gained much traction.
Turning 34 in April, Arenado is coming off a statistically down year, hitting .272 with 16 home runs last season.
Leave a Reply