The New York Yankees surely knew there was a strong likelihood that Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu would suffer injuries at some point in 2025, but they were cautiously optimistic that the two men would get through spring training in one piece. That did not happen. Stanton is nursing tennis elbow in both arms and LeMahieu has a calf strain, as both men prepare to begin the season on the injured list.
Considering their perennial health issues are starting earlier than expected, the Yankees could be inclined to pivot before Opening Day. St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is still engulfed in trade rumors, but New York general manager Brian Cashman has yet to pounce.
While the 2024 American League champions boast a number of other capable hitters, including newcomers Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, they do not have a straightforward solution at the hot corner. With LeMahieu out of commission for the time being, the Yankees’ top options are presumably Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza. Those are fine guys to slot in for a few games here and there, but neither one of them are currently considered everyday players.
And to be frank, that also applies to this version of DJ LeMahieu, who batted .204 with two home runs in 67 games last season. The two-time batting champion and four-time Gold Glove winner is not the man New York signed to a six-year, $90 million contract in January of 2021. Ergo, one can argue management should have added a more reliable talent to man the position.
Again, though Arenado is out there.
Nolan Arenado makes sense for the Yankees
The current voice of the Yankees believes the eight-time All-Star is an obvious choice to stick at third base for the 2025 campaign. And he even had a possible trade candidate the team could use to acquire him.
“I’ve been saying this since the beginning of spring training, it’s such a natural thing to bring Arenado over, longtime play-by-play man Michael Kay told “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman.”
“And I’ve heard that the Yankees are not that high on him, but when you’re going to go into the season with a combination of Oswaldo and Peraza, I’m not sure you could feel that great about it. I think they could do the job defensively. And I keep hearing about the drop-off that Arenado has. He might have a drop-off, but he’s still not a terrible player… I think if the Yankees could get the Cardinals to take Marcus Stroman, I would make that deal.”
What does @RealMichaelKay think the Yankees should do at third base?
The Show with @Joelsherman1 & @JonHeyman
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Spotify: https://t.co/ccBaYbfX0S pic.twitter.com/zsNYCvCpnS— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) March 7, 2025
Can New York afford to wait out its third base situation?
If Stroman catches wind of Kay’s proposal, the already big chip on his shoulder will not fit inside Yankee Stadium. It should be noted that Kay probably made this claim before knowing the severity of Luis Gil’s lat injury. Still, there might be a way the club can acquire Nolan Arenado while also keeping Stroman in the starting pitching rotation.
The 33-year-old St. Louis star, who has won a whopping 10 Gold Gloves and five Silver Slugger awards, is coming off a rather mediocre 2024 season– .272/.325/.394/.719 slash line– and will make $52 million across the next three years. Despite those drawbacks, he does not jump out as an egregious regression candidate.
Arenado has played in 140 games or more in four straight seasons, continues to hit at a respectable average and plays high-level defense. A lack of fundamental soundness proved to be the Yankees’ downfall in the 2024 World Series, and this veteran could help fix that problem.
Based on what Michael Kay said, however, fans might be waiting for a while before New York comes around on Arenado.
The post Michael Kay sounds off on Yankees’ dilemma amid persistent Nolan Arenado rumors appeared first on ClutchPoints.
