The Yankees have a serious issue regarding their infield. Currently, Jazz Chisholm is manning the hot corner, while second base has been a revolving door of underperforming hitters. Jorbit Vivas, Oswald Pereza, and, more recently, DJ Lemahieu have been holding down second base while the Yankees figure out a permanent solution. Peraza and Vivas are both batting well below .200, and DJ has not been hitting much better. If the Yankees want to be a true World Series contender, they need to bolster their infield at the trade deadline.
One player who has been connected to the Yankees since at least the offseason is St. Louis Cardinals’ third baseman Nolan Arenado. In theory Arenado would fit perfectly with the Yanks; however, as you dig deeper, the situation becomes more complex.
Arenado is 34 years old and is owed $52 million over the next three seasons. Additionally, the Yankees might find the price to acquire Arenado from the contending St. Louis Cardinals too high. It is likely that the Yankees would have to include a multitude of mid-to-high-level prospects, including Spencer Jones (the 2nd-ranked prospect in their farm system), in a potential trade offer to the Cardinals. Considering Arenado’s offensive struggles so far in 2025 (.233 AVG, .297 OBP, .375 SLG, and 88 OPS+), it seems unlikely that the Yankees would go “all out” to acquire the former Gold Glove winner and MVP candidate at the tail end of his career.
So, the question remains, if the Yankees don’t acquire Nolan Arenado at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, how should they address their infield woes?
I propose that the Yankees make a trade to acquire Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. This past offseason, Rosario signed a 1-year, $2 million contract with the Nats. So far, in 2025, Rosario has been an incredibly effective hitter. His batting average is .282, his OPS is .752, and his OPS+ is 114 (which would be his highest OPS+ in a given season). While his hitting numbers are certainly impressive, the main reason I think he would fit so well with the Yankees is his positional versatility. Throughout his career, Rosario has been known to play shortstop, second base, third base, left field, and right field. In 2025, for the Nationals, Rosario has been playing primarily third base and second base, the two main positions of concern for the Yankees. The Nationals are not playoff contenders this season, and given the fact they are in a full rebuild focused on developing James Wood, Dylan Crews, and CJ Abrams, a 29-year-old journeyman infielder such as Rosario is almost certainly not part of their long-term plan.
This trade makes perfect sense for both ball clubs. The Yankees would hand over some low-level prospects to the Nationals, who would consider that a massive win considering they only signed Rosario for this season and have not made any indication that they will re-sign him when he becomes a UDFA this offseason, and the Yankees would gain some much-needed depth in their infield for the remainder of 2025. Amed Rosario is the perfect low-risk asset that the Yankees should hone in on trying to acquire as the trade deadline rapidly approaches.
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