'Emergency' New York Yankees Trade Lands Former MVP as Anthony Rizzo Replacement

The New York Yankees would find their Anthony Rizzo replacement in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jun 16, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) hits a single against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Rizzo will be sidelined for at least eight weeks with a broken forearm. The New York Yankees called up prospect Ben Rice to replace him for the time being, but this does leave for a possible trade before the July trade deadline.

The Yankees do have other needs, so if Rice proves that he can play at a serviceable level, moving their assets to improve other areas could be the right decision.

However, if there's a clear upgrade at the position and they're willing to make a trade, New York should look into it.

In a proposed trade from Zach Pressnell of FanSided, they'd be landing Paul Goldschmidt in a deal that might be too good to pass up.

The deal would move Clayton Beeter and Brock Selvidge. Selvidge is the No. 10 prospect in the system, while Beeter ranks No. 13, according to MLB.com.

Both are above-average prospects, but Goldschmidt would be an instant help to a team with World Series aspirations.

"The Yankees wouldn't be buying the Goldschmidt that's hitting in the low .200s. They would be buying the player who held an OPS+ over 100 for the first 13 years of his career. They would be buying the player who's hit .262 with six homers and 15 RBIs since May 15," Pressnell wrote.

The St. Louis Cardinals were once viewed as sellers just a few weeks ago. With the National League Central being one of the worst divisions in baseball and the entire National League struggling for the most part, that isn't the case anymore.

If anything, the Cardinals have a reason to be buyers. The way a deal for Goldschmidt would work is if they start to play how they did at the beginning of the season, which is always a possibility.

The seven-time All-Star and former MVP has had a below-average season for his standards. He's currently slashing .230/.303/.360 with an OPS+ of 89 and nine home runs. Those would all be career lows if they continue.

There have been scenarios where the Yankees trade for an older player on the decline, but they'd have to hope that wouldn't be the case with the Delaware native.

He debuted in 2011 and has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball, so turning it around is definitely a possibility.

If St. Louis starts to fall off and Rice doesn't produce, this could be an excellent addition to their pursuit of No. 28