Report: Cardinals Capitalizing on $34.6 million First Baseman Trade While They Still Can

I thought the Cardinals should have dealt Paul Goldschmidt at the deadline last year, and I wrote about it in an article I published a long back.

It would be wiser to just concentrate on 2024 and stop harping on the disastrous season that ended last year. However, I still stand by that assertion and think that was the correct decision.

At the trade deadline, though, there may still be an opportunity to trade him. Although I know this won’t be a popular decision, I truly support the Cardinals taking this action. Allow me to clarify.

Cardinals need to capitalize on a Goldy trade

Let me be quite clear about one thing. I adore Goldy. I’m happy he’s on the team and consider myself lucky to have witnessed his meteoric rise in 2022.

For the fan base, including myself, a trade of Goldschmidt would undoubtedly be difficult to accept. But allow me to explain.

His value was high at the trade deadline last year after his MVP campaign, and had the Cardinals taken advantage of this chance, they could have added some young, controllable starters to their rotation for this season. Perhaps they didn’t even need to go fetch Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.

Why, then, do it now? Remember that he is in the final year of his deal and will turn 37 in September. Unfortunately, I don’t think a contract extension is possible, and I believe that Goldy’s time in St. Louis is coming to an end. This is disappointing because the Cardinals squandered a number of years of his prime.

With Shohei Ohtani, the Cardinals must thus accomplish what the Angels were unable to do the previous season.

Granted, given that he had a poor season in 2017 and is an elderly player with one year left before becoming a free agent, Goldschmidt’s worth is probably a little lower. He could still be worth something to the Cardinals, though, as he is still a fantastic player. This is the only thing they can do to avoid losing him for nothing.

It’s true that Goldschmidt has a no-trade clause and would need to approve any move, but he won’t want to trade for a non-contender if the Cardinals are in the running. For this reason, should they decide to contend, they ought to locate another competitor who possesses starting pitching that is Major League ready and make a need-based trade.

It may sound strange at first, but it’s crucial to keep in mind that the Cardinals have a large pool of position players. You can’t keep Victor Scott II in the minors for much longer; he’s knocking on the door.

After that, the Cardinals might start him in center field, switch Brendan Donovan to first base, and transfer Tommy Edman back to second base.

I don’t think Goldschmidt’s contract will be extended, despite the fans’ strong desire for it. If the Cardinals decide to move him, though, who may be willing to take him?

I discussed the Mariners and how I believed they could have sent Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller back in my last post. Though it seems doubtful that they would part with both of them at this time, the Cardinals might still target one of them to add great potential and several years of team control to the rotation.

St. Louis should prioritize pitching, particularly starting pitching. They need to locate a contender with a lot of pitching depth, like the Mariners, and close a deal with an eye toward the future, regardless of whether they decide to sell again or remain in the running.

While I don’t think they should abandon the season if they’re in the running, they have struggled to find enough pitchers over the last several years, and they will require more in order to be a serious contender. While it’s evident that trading Goldschmidt—who most likely won’t be back in 2025—isn’t a popular concept, it’s something to think about if they want quality pitching rather than focusing on cheap deals.

Making any excellent exchange is painful, at least somewhat.