This Yankees-Cardinals trade would stop the bleeding if New York loses Juan Soto

The New York Yankees face a very important offseason this winter. They have multiple top players entering free agency. Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres and a few key bullpen pieces highlight their free agency class.

Obviously, the top free agent is Juan Soto, and the Yankees will be as aggressive as humanly possible to bring Soto back to the Bronx. But there's a chance they miss out on him and New York needs to have a backup plan in case that happens.

One piece of the backup plan would be replacing Torres at second base with another infielder. Adding a third baseman and moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to his natural position at second base would work perfectly.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

A Yankees-Cardinals trade that moves superstar infielder to the Bronx

Enter St. Louis Cardinals trade candidate Nolan Arenado.

ESPN insider Jeff Passan recently spoke on Arenado's trade market this offseason.

"Another player whose no-trade clause complicates things, Arenado turns 34 in April and spent 2024 as a league-average hitter. Arenado is valuable -- his glove at third still dazzles -- but with $74 million left on the final three years of his deal (Colorado is paying $10 million of it), the Cardinals would need to eat money," Passan wrote.

With the Yankees, it's almost a guarantee that Arenado waives his no-trade clause to be moved to the Bronx. With the Cardinals likely eating a chunk of Arenado's contract, they should get a decent prospect haul.

This deal would send Arenado and some cash to the Yankees for two top pitching prospects Will Warren and Cade Smith.

Warren, 25, made his big league debut last season, though it came with mixed results. Before that, Warren had been a top arm in the minor leagues, namely in 2022 and 2023. He struggled a bit in 2024, though he still has multiple above-average pitch offerings that make him a valuable prospect.

Smith, 22, was excellent this season in his first year of pro ball. The right-handed pitcher tossed 93.2 innings with a 3.65 ERA split between Low-A and High-A. He has an elite fastball and slide combination while also offering a curveball and a changeup.

Arenado would slot into the Yankees infield perfectly and for much cheaper than free agent infielders Willy Adames and Alex Bregman. Adding Arenado alone wouldn't solve the Yankees problems if they miss on Soto, but it would be quite a good start.