$260 Million Future HOF Viewed as Yankees’ Juan Soto Replacement

Getty Juan Soto sticking his tongue out

The New York Yankees could be active on the trade market this winter, no matter what happens with Juan Soto. However, if they were to lose Soto, trading for a high-level player or two would become necessary. The St. Louis Cardinals are among the teams expected to move players, and they have a few players the Yankees could target.

Michael Kay, the Yankees play-by-play announcer for YES Network, said on a recent episode of “The Michael Kay Show” that New York should consider Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado as a replacement for Soto.

“Now if I’m the Yankees… the Cardinals are cleaning house,” Kay said on November 7. “Now, he has a no-trade clause. But I’ve talked with Nolan Arenado. He’s a baseball guy. He understands what works, what’s important, history of the game. I go to the Cardinals and go ‘You eat $12 to $15 million of his $31 million that he’s owed over the next couple years, we’ll take Nolan Arenado.’

“Nolan Arenado is a Platinum Glove-level third baseman… This guy is a pro,” Kay continued. “Now, he’s probably on the downside. I would take my chance on Arenado.”

Cardinals Looking to Move Multiple Players

If the New York Yankees were to lose Soto, they’d have to get creative. Perhaps they’d view Arenado as one of the many pieces to replace him, especially if the Cardinals were willing to eat up some of the remaining $52 million from his $260 million deal.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Yankees could also come together on a trade that would send New York more than just Arenado, as Jeff Jones of BND.com reported that they’re willing to move more than just him.

“Each of Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray will have the opportunity to be shopped and shipped if they desire it,” Jones wrote on November 3. “Each has also been available to other clubs relatively recently, and from that there is an ability to look at the broader contours of those markets before the Cardinals have a true sense of their trade reality.”

Arenado Wouldn’t Be a Perfect Replacement for Soto

While Kay has the right idea in trading for a guy like Arenado, it’s tough for him to be the best Soto replacement. In fact, there aren’t many when factoring in that the Dominican Republic native is only 26 years old.

However, Arenado is a future Hall of Famer for a reason. Throughout his career, he’s done nothing but play at an elite level.

He owns a career slash line of .285/.342/.516 with 341 home runs, 1,826 hits, and an OPS+ of 121. The 33-year-old is also a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, eight-time All-Star, and six-time Platinum Glove winner.

Arenado has as decorated of a career as many who have ever played the game, but he’s only getting older.

The New York Yankees could view him as one of the few pieces they’d use to replace Soto. If the Yankees were to lose him, the idea of making it a collective effort would be a good plan.

Arenado would be a great piece, but Soto would certainly be the better player to have moving forward. In a perfect world, the Yankees would have both on their roster next year.