TAMPA, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado made the three-hour, cross-state drive to play in an exhibition game Wednesday against the New York Yankees, among the teams that may be open to acquiring him in a trade.

He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and disputed the notion the game was a "showcase" of himself to a potential suitor.

"I didn't come here for that," Arenado told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Day 3 of spring training. That wouldn't be a good day to showcase myself. I'm not ready for that."

Arenado, on the trade market because of declining production and a contract that will pay him $74 million over the next three seasons, said he was given the option to skip the trip but wanted see friends DJ LeMahieu and Paul Goldschmidt, both Yankees infielders, and an athletic trainer he knows in the area.

He said he wanted to get three at-bats, which kept him in the game for seven innings -- another February rarity for a veteran. Arenado struck out on three pitches, lined out to second and whiffed on a 1-2 count.

"My body is ready for it," he said. "I'm ready for nine. My timing [at the plate] is not."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.