Cardinals Trade Pitch Sends $74 Million Gold Glover To Yankees In Four-Player Swap

The St. Louis slugger could call the Bronx his home in 2025

Aug 14, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Yankees hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals aim to decrease payroll this winter by shopping several notable players' contracts, most likely to big-market teams.

Maximizing trade value will be crucial for Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak as he prepares to trade several fan favorites.

Mozeliak hasn't yet traded any significant talent this offseason. However, a recent trade pitch was proposed to ship several crucial Cardinals players to the New York Yankees in a heartbreaking blockbuster for St. Louis fans.

"Yankees receive: third baseman Nolan Arenado, outfielder Lars Nootbar and relief pitcher Ryan Fernandez - Cardinals receive outfielder Jasson Dominguez," Newsweek's Matt Musico wrote Wednesday. "Arenado has a no-trade clause in his eight-year, $260 million contract but his name has been churning through the rumor mill as the Cardinals mull a reset. ESPN New York's Michael Kay also mentioned the veteran would be a solid fit for the Bombers. Nootbar is a primary center fielder, which would allow (Aaron) Judge to move to a corner to preserve his body better."

Dominguez was a former top prospect for the Yankees, showing promising signs in the Bronx farm system. However, the young left fielder has struggled since transitioning to the big leagues.

Dominguez has batted .207 with eight extra-base hits including six home runs, 11 RBIs and a .747 OPS throughout his two-year career with the Yankees.

There's potential in Dominguez's future if he's properly developed but sacrificing Nootbaar and Fernandez -- two vital assets for the Cardinals' future -- for the Yankees outfielder would undoubtedly have St. Louis fans calling for Mozeliak's immediate firing.

Sending Arenado to the Yankees makes sense, as the Yankees could have a void at third base in 2025 and have the payroll flexibility to take on the $74 million remaining of the five-time Silver Slugger's contract.

Due to Arenado's lackluster season in 2024, the Cardinals might have difficulty trading him. Still, it should never get to the point where they have to include two vital and controllable assets in a trade package to remove his contract from St. Louis' payroll.

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