I Feel Like Michael Kay Is Late To The Game On This One

I have to be honest—I’m completely over the Nolan Arenado talk. As a Yankees fan, I think trading for him would be a mistake, especially now. He’s aging, and in just a few years, he won’t be the same player. We don’t need him. Now, Michael Kay is suggesting the Yankees should pursue him.

Look, I’m all for upgrading at third base, especially with DJ LeMahieu sidelined and Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera battling it out over there. But here me out, Peraza is a natural shortstop and I do not think he will have difficulty adjusting to 3rd, and Cabrera can handle multiple positions. So why bring in Arenado, who’s on a massive contract? And why give up Marcus Stroman now, when the Yankees are already dealing with injuries to Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt? It just doesn’t make sense at this point in the season.

I get it—Arenado is a great player. He’d probably have some big moments in the Bronx. But seriously, do we really need him? Kay made his case on The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, saying:

“I’ve been saying this since the beginning of spring training, it’s such a natural thing to bring Arenado over…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.”

If this were December, sure—I’d consider it. But now? No chance in my opinion. Yes, Arenado has 10 Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, and is coming off a meh 2024 season where he hit .272. The real issue? He’s still owed $52 million over the next three years and is already 33. Meanwhile, the Yankees have two young, homegrown guys competing for the job, and the lineup is already strong—even without Giancarlo Stanton.

Can we at least see how the season starts before making a move for an aging veteran? I respect Kay’s opinion, but it’s March 7, not December 10. If the Yankees truly wanted Arenado, they would have made the deal months ago. There’s a reason they haven’t—at least not yet. 

Stay tuned.