Cards notebook: Checking in on Arenado trade talk, the player-development reboot takes the next step, belated praise for JJ Wetherholt

Let’s hit three different topics on this fine Friday

Hope your holidays were relaxing and fulfilling. Here’s what I’m thinking about right now as we move into the back half of the offseason …

Arenado trade talk

The holding pattern and presumably the discussions persist. The most recent news on this front is that, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand and the two teams’ respective writers for that same outlet, Paul Goldschmidt’s presence on the Yankees makes it more likely that Arenado would approve a trade to the Bronx. As well, they wrote this:

“The Yankees expressed an interest in trading for Arenado earlier in the offseason, a source said, proposing a swap of [Marcus] Stroman and Arenado. St. Louis declined the offer without even presenting it to Arenado for approval, according to the source.”

We know from the scuttled Arenado-to-Houston trade that the Cardinals were willing to pay down $15-20 million of Arenado’s remaining tab. Stroman is owed $18 million for 2025, and his contract includes an $18 million player option for 2026 that will vest if he works at least 140 innings in 2025. Potentially, that’s a $36 million commitment, and the Cardinals in payroll-reduction mode may not have the appetite for such risk. As well, that would presumably lock up another rotation spot that the Cardinals would prefer to be reserved for a younger arm. It’s not surprising they turned down such an offer from the Yanks.

Soon after, Jack Curry reported that the Yankees are not in on Arenado. Curry is employed by YES Network, and he doesn’t report anything that isn’t coming from the front office. This may be posturing for purposes of negotiation, but it may also be the reality. Assuming the Yankees are open to an Arenado trade, then the recent signing of Gleyber Torres with the Tigers may have made it more likely. Torres’ departure opens a hole at second base, and the Yankees could fill it by shifting Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the keystone, which in turn would open third base up for Arenado. Yes, Alex Bregman remains available for signing, but that’s potentially an awkward fit.

If pressed, I’d guess that Arenado does not wind up in the Bronx because I’m not sure it’s a given he’d waive his no-trade clause (Goldschmidt’s presence notwithstanding), and the Yankees probably see the same signs of Arenado’s pronounced offensive decline that the rest of us do. That said, if the alternative is every-day duty for DJ LeMahieu or Oswaldo Peraza, then maybe there’s a path forward. For now, this seems like the best (and last?) chance to move Arenado, even if the odds of a trade being realized aren’t especially strong, at least to my thinking.

Cards add new faces to player development

The Cardinals recently announced four new hires as part of their ongoing player-development reboot and build-out. They’ll function as coordinators at the minor-league level, roles that the Cardinals have never had before. Those four additions are Ryan Barba (the new minor league field coordinator), Jose Leger (assistant minor league field coordinator and base-running coordinator), Austin Meine (minor league pitching coordinator), and Ethan Goforth (minor league catching coordinator).

We all wanted to see two things from this – one, that the inexcusably understaffed player-dev apparatus be supplied with new hires; and, two, that those hires largely come from outside the organization.