Nolan Arenado Trade Rumors: Yankees Haven't 'Been Aggressive Pursuers' of Cardinals 3B

Despite being unsettled at third base going into the regular season, the New York Yankees don't seem inclined to make a move for Nolan Arenado.

Per ESPN's Jorge Castillo, the Yankees have "not been aggressive pursuers" of Arenado thus far.

The St. Louis Cardinals have made no secret that they want to deal Arenado. Their ability to do depends entirely on them finding a destination where he wants to play since his contract contains a full no-trade clause.

Arenado has already blocked a deal to the Houston Astros. The Astros aren't going away quietly, as MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Mark Feinsand and John Denton reported on Feb. 22 they renewed their interest in the eight-time All-Star.

The report noted Arenado could be more willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Astros now that they have added Christian Walker to play first base. Walker wasn't signed at the time the original talks with Arenado were happening.

One problem for any team potentially looking to acquire Arenado is money. The Athletic's Katie Woo noted on Feb. 21 that Cardinals ownership is looking to reduce payroll due to a combination of uncertainty with their regional television network and projected drop in gate revenue this season.

Woo wrote those factors mean the Cardinals "would not be willing" to eat much of the $74 million remaining on Arenado's contract.

If Arenado was still playing at the level he did in 2022, when he finished third in NL MVP voting, that amount of money over the next three seasons might not be a big deal. His performance has dipped in the two years since that dominant 2022.

Arenado slugged a career-low .394 in 152 games. His defense did rebound last season with six defensive runs saved and a defensive value of 9.6, per FanGraphs.

The Yankees were expected to enter the regular season with DJ LeMahieu as their third baseman, but his status is unclear after tweaking his calf running to first base in Saturday's spring training game against Houston.

Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza will be competing to open the season at the hot corner. Cabrera was once a promising prospect, but he owns a .233/.291/.352 slash line in 267 MLB games.

Peraza is a .216/.297/.315 career hitter in just 74 games over the past three seasons.

The Yankees open the regular season on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium.