Angry fans might barely accept this Yankees-Nolan Arenado trade package

While Yankees insider/guru Jack Curry was highly out on the team's chances of trading for Nolan Arenado on YES Hot Stove, a lot can change in a week. Specifically, $760 million worth of things can change.

Curry believed, at that point in time, that a Cody Bellinger pursuit was likely, while dealing for Arenado as his offense took a nosedive made less sense. When Curry pooh-poos an idea, that typically means Brian Cashman has told him he doesn't plan to chase it. Still ... one Juan Soto departure can make a harried executive do a lot of things.

According to Newsday's Erik Boland and MLB's Bryan Hoch, the Yankees are showing interest in Arenado, despite him entering his age-34 season carrying a 101 OPS+ last season. There's a chance Arenado would be rejuvenated in a winning environment after growing disillusioned in St. Louis. There's also a chance he'd immediately be Josh Donaldson.

Despite being only two years removed from an .891 OPS/7.7 bWAR campaign, the fan base is extremely down on the potential acquisition, scarred from Donaldson and so many others on the wrong side of 30. If the Yankees do pull the trigger here, they'll need to add a noteworthy name into the package to make a deal worthwhile.

This Yankees-Nolan Arenado trade package can (maybe) satisfy some fans

First of all, Arenado has to play third base. Sure, he's "open" to moving to first, but acquiring a Gold Glover and all-timer at the position while blocking him with Jazz Chisholm, who's learning on the job, would be nonsensical.

So, there we are. Arenado to third. Jazz to second. And, since the Yankees need an athletic left fielder, what about Brendan Donovan? Aaron Judge can, rightly, slide back to right field, Jasson Dominguez can take over center, and Donovan can patrol the gap and float around, putting his utility glove and 112 OPS+ to good use.

Donovan's controllable through 2028, so the resulting package will be expensive. But ... in this hypothetical, the Yankees would take on the entirety of the remaining Arenado contract ($21 million in 2025, $16 million in 2026, $15 million in 2027). That's a nice benefit, allowing the Cardinals to do right by the future Hall of Famer.

Spencer Jones can headline this package, but you know the Cardinals have heavy interest in the Yankees' pitching prospects, from the bottom levels of the minors to the top. Chase Hampton, Clayton Beeter, and 2024 draftee Gage Ziehl can join Jones here in luring Donovan (and, oop, Arenado, almost forgot him) to the Boogie Down.

Would adding a genuine controllable stud make betting on the Arenado bounce back worthwhile? Has Jones' value dipped far enough that Yankee fans would be willing to deal him here? Has he retained enough value to be a centerpiece of this big lug of a deal? Time will tell; we might find out sooner than we ever expected, after taking Curry's initial warning as gospel.