Tampa – It will take some time to see Nolan Arenado appear on the Yankees radar.
On Wednesday, in a strange development, he appeared on the field of their spring home.
A highly available cardinal three-base hand, Arenado has become a proven veteran to embark on a long-standing, long-standing road trip.
The 2012 major leaguer ran over three hours for Florida and played at Stein Brenner Field in a 7-0 Yankees victory.
The eighth All-Star is in the trade bloc, but no, he said he wasn't trying to show himself for the Yankees.
“I didn't come here for that,” Arenado said. “Day 3 of spring training is not a good day to showcase yourself.”
He said he wanted to meet longtime teammate Paul Goldschmidt and longtime friend DJ Lemahieu, as well as personal trainers who work in the area.
He also wasn't playing Tuesday and didn't want to sit for two days in a row.
Regardless of the exact circumstances, the Yankees saw firsthand seven innings of famous potential trade targets.
Of course, even the four home runs won't shake the Yankees up with immediate action, nor does the reality (0-for-3 with two strikeouts and flyouts).
“I don't know if you saw it, but today it turned out to be like a 95 mph fastball that was blown away,” Arenado said with a smile at the batsman's everyday events at the beginning of the exhibition season. “So I'm just trying to take my time and focus on preparing for the season.”
At least for now, the season will start with the Cardinals.
The club has been openly shopping for the aged star, who turned 34 in April. He has paid $64 million in the last three years of his contract. Arenado's OPS has plummeted from .891 to .774 to .774 to .719 over the past three seasons.
If the bat is slower, Arenado's gloves, who won 10 gold gloves, are still above average.
The Yankees have moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. to 2 bases, but essentially hold a third tryout between Lemahue, Oswald Cabrera and Oswald Peraza.
The paper has obvious holes, but arenado is not an obvious fit.
According to Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees predict that they will be slightly above the final luxury tax threshold and will want to pile up money before they do more (as they are hoping for Marcus Stromann for his $18 million deal).
Plus, Yankees, who are waiting for the last two years and $30 million Lemahieu, are unlikely to find another infielder on the wrong side of the 30 potentially contractual albatross.
There is also an incomplete stadium fit. Arenado is the right batter who tends to pull a ball that is hit. Not ideal for short pouches on the Bronx and right field.
Still, the rumors continue as the Yankees probably don't have a better option. Because Arenado himself is employed as Cardinals could grow desperately to get out of Arenado's deal.
Arenado admitted to hearing “Chatz” from Yankees fans wanting to change their uniforms. He said he didn't follow much of the speculation and was just preparing for the year.
“He handled it incredibly well,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Malmoll.
Arenado hasn't complained about his current team, but the Cardinals are rebuilt and are not expected to compete for the title.
Arenado's agent Joel Wolf says his client wants to play for his team.
The Yankees are always competing. That is, speculation continues until the Yankees find a third baseman or Arenado finds a new home.
