The New York Yankees may not have won the Juan Soto free agency sweepstakes, but that hasn’t prevented them from building some strong early momentum. Entering MLB games today, they had an 18-13 record, good enough for first place in the AL East.
Yet, just because the Yankees have a good record through 31 games, it doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of room for improvement. Recently, Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly suggested a trade that could help fix one of the Yankees’ biggest weaknesses.
“Arenado does have a pair of seasons remaining on the eight-year, $260 million deal that he signed with the Colorado Rockies. But while he’ll count $25.55 million against the luxury-tax threshold in 2026 and 2027, his deal is backloaded. Arenado will make a more modest $31 million for his age-35 and -36 seasons.
Bleacher Report on New York Yankees Nolan Arenado trade
It seems like all great Rockies eventually end up spending time with the Yankees, and Arenado would give New York an upgrade over the .705 OPS that Oswaldo Cabrera has produced. This deal would also reunite him with Paul Goldschmidt, as the Yankees try to make a deep playoff run for the second time in as many seasons.”
Specifically, Kelly proposes that the Yankees trade for eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who has been available since the winter.
However, Arenado does hold a full no-trade clause, and he’s already used it once to reject a trade to the Houston Astros. Would he evoke the same power to avoid the Yankees, too? They may have an advantage, being that Paul Goldschmidt, one of Arenado’s closest baseball friends, would be sharing a locker room with Arenado in New York.
Arenado, 34, has gotten off to a strong start this season, with an OPS+ of 109 and an OBP of .336. He’s also already shown he’s still plenty capable of handling the hot corner, saving three runs defensively. In other words, he’d be a great fit on many teams, not just the Yankees.
Related: Chicago Cubs predicted to trade for former Cy Young winner
