I can’t take it again: Cardinals pitcher is gone forever

Cardinals want to retain Paul Goldschmidt beyond 2024.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently spoke with readers about the fate of many pending free agents on the Cardinals’ roster. Most noteworthy among them is seven-time All-Star and 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt,

with whom Goold stated that the team will chat after the season “about what a return looks like.” Goold went on to compare Goldschmidt’s predicament to that of veteran Cardinal Adam Wainwright late in his career, when the team permitted him to enter free agency before concluding a previously agreed-upon contract.

Goldschmidt, who will turn 37 next month, has spent the last six years with the Cardinals after joining them in a trade that ended his tenure with the Diamondbacks one year before he would have been eligible for free agency. This framing of the situation suggests that there is a strong mutual interest in Goldschmidt staying in St. Louis beyond this season.

A challenging 2024 campaign has changed that, as the veteran has hit just.228/.288/.384 (91 wRC+) in 110 games this season. Age-related decline becomes a concern for most players as their career advances into their mid-to-late thirties, and for Goldschmidt to have the first below-average offensive season of his career at age 36 surely sets off alarm bells for some interested clubs. Goldschmidt’s consistency at the plate and his still-recent MVP campaign in 2022 gave him optimism that he might be one of the offseason’s most attractive offensive talents despite his advanced age.

Considering Goldschmidt’s difficulties this season, it’s simple to understand why a reunion could be best for everyone. After all, the Cardinals’ group of young hitters, which is mostly composed of middle infield and outfield alternatives, does not appear to have an obvious successor to Goldschmidt at first base. On the 40-man roster controlled for the 2025 season, Luken Baker is the sole first baseman. The 27-year-old has not yet made an appearance in the major leagues this year, following a cup of coffee of 33 games in 2023 during which he struck out at a rate of 31.3% and managed a wRC+ of just 79. By keeping Goldschmidt, the team would be able to maintain the services of a well-respected and distinguished veteran who has recently had success.