This emergency Yankees-Cardinals trade would be the ultimate Juan Soto backup plan

The New York Yankees recently lost the Juan Soto sweepstakes to the New York Mets. The Mets stole the star with a $765 million contract offer compared to the Yankees offer which was for much less AAV.

Now, the Bronx Bombers will be left to turn to their emergency backup plan.

The Yankees have multiple holes to fill. They need to add a starting pitcher or two, a few bullpen arms, an outfielder, and two infielders. In the infield, the Yankees need to add a first baseman for sure. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has the ability to play either second or third base, so New York could add either position and slot Chisholm wherever it doesn't add.

If they're interested in a third baseman, they should look no further than St. Louis Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado.

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A Cardinals-Yankees trade to bring a Gold Glove third baseman to the Bronx

Arenado has $52 million left on his contract, but the Cardinals will likely be willing to eat a large chunk of the deal to move him. For the sake of this argument, let's imagine the Cardinals are paying half of Arenado's remaining $52 million. Here's how a deal could look:

The deal is quite simple. The Yankees would be moving two top-10 prospects to the Cardinals for Arenado and the money to pay half his deal.

Warren, the Yankees fifth-ranked prospect, spent time in the big-league last year, but it was short, and it wasn't great. The righty tossed 109.2 innings in Triple-A before being called up to the big leagues. He's 25 years old and likely needs a change of scenery to reach his full potential.

Periera, the Yankees' 10th-ranked prospect, was once looked at as an elite prospect, but he's never really panned out. The 23-year-old outfielder slashed .265/.346/.512 in Triple-A last season before coming to the big leagues and struggling. But there doesn't seem to be a clear path for him in the Bronx, especially if the Yankees add another outfielder.

The Yankees would benefit heavily from adding Arenado more than any other infielder on the market. They struggled with infield defense in 2024 and the Cardinals third baseman is one of the best infield defenders of all time. He would be affordable and a huge upgrade to Aaron Boone's squad after losing Soto.