Yankees Trade Sends 2 Prospects for Future Hall of Famer

Getty Aaron Boone walking back from the mound

The trade market is filled with talented players the New York Yankees should pursue. The Yankees have the farm system to trade for most players if they’re willing to move on from some of their top prospects. In a win-now situation, the Yankees don’t have much of a reason not to move on from youngsters.

That doesn’t mean the Yankees should trade players just to make a move, but if they want to win a World Series in 2025, their focus should be on the big league team.

Nolan Arenado has been a name in trade talks recently, and the Yankees have been linked to him. The idea of trading for Arenado makes perfect sense, especially if the St. Louis Cardinals would be willing to eat any of his salary.

Matt Snyder of CBS Sports views New York as one of the top landing spots for the future Hall of Famer, highlighting that he could play first base.

“The top priority this offseason for the Yankees is obviously Juan Soto. Once the dust settles there, we’ll see where they stand. They have an opening at first base after letting Anthony Rizzo walk in free agency.

“They could also put Arenado at third and play Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second. Such a move would improve the Yankees’ defense — which proved to be their undoing in Game 5 of the World Series — but the ballpark doesn’t do Arenado’s bat any favors, given how little he ever hits the ball to right field,” Snyder wrote on November 27.

Yankees – Arenado Trade Pitch

A trade for Arenado at this stage in his career shouldn’t cost the New York Yankees much. Depending on how much of his salary the St. Louis Cardinals would be willing to eat, the Yankees package could be a prospect or two.

Zach Pressnell of FanSided proposed a deal that would move Arenado for Will Warren and Cade Smith. His deal would also send an unspecified amount of money to the Yankees.

“This deal would send Arenado and some cash to the Yankees for two top pitching prospects Will Warren and Cade Smith. Warren, 25, made his big league debut last season, though it came with mixed results. Before that, Warren had been a top arm in the minor leagues, namely in 2022 and 2023… Smith, 22, was excellent this season in his first year of pro ball. The right-handed pitcher tossed 93.2 innings with a 3.65 ERA split between Low-A and High-A…

“Arenado would slot into the Yankees infield perfectly and for much cheaper than free agent infielders Willy Adames and Alex Bregman. Adding Arenado alone wouldn’t solve the Yankees problems if they miss on Soto, but it would be quite a good start,” Pressnell wrote on November 12.

Should the Yankees Trade for Arenado?

There are many factors the New York Yankees would have to consider in a potential deal for Arenado. Being 33 years old and declining a bit recently doesn’t help, but it’s tough to ignore the player he is.

Arenado is a 10-time Gold Glove winner, eight-time All-Star, and six-time Platinum Glove winner.

His offensive numbers are down recently, posting a 108 and 101 OPS+ in the last two campaigns. However, in 2022, he posted a 151 OPS+ and hit 30 home runs.

If the Yankees could get the 2022 version of Arenado and re-sign Juan Soto, they’d be a much better team in 2025.