Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has reported that the St. Louis Cardinals are closing in on a contract extension with their newly-acquired first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. The deal, which is expected to be finalized soon, is reportedly for five years and $130 million. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also added that the contract will not include any no-opts outs. Goldschmidt will also have a full no-trade clause.
The Trade
The deal ensures Goldschmidt, who has yet to play a regular season game with the Cardinals, will remain in St. Louis for the foreseeable future. The first baseman was acquired in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks at the end of 2018. The deal saw Goldschmidt, who had played his entire eight year major league career in Arizona, exchanged for pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, and infielder Andy Young.
The Career
Goldschmidt is known throughout the league as one of the best at his position. The six-time All-Star selection has proven to be a dangerous at every facet of the game. He has averaged 31 home runs and 105 RBI a season while hitting a superb .297. He is also a surprising threat on the base paths average 18 stolen bases a year (with a career high 32 in 2016). In addition to his great hitting ability, Goldschmidt has won three Gold Glove awards.
Despite posting phenomenal personal numbers while in Arizona, Goldschmidt was never able to achieve a great deal of postseason success. He was able to lead his team to a Division Series in 2011 and a Wild Card game victory in 2017. During his brief postseason stints, he maintained a .300+ batting average.
The Future
The recent contract extension proves that the slugger is excited to play for a franchise with a winning history. The Cardinals 11 World Series Championships is second only to the New York Yankees 27 titles. Two of those championships have come in the last 15 years (2006 and 2011). The Cardinals have also won four NL Pennants and nine NL Central titles since 2000.
St. Louis’ winning ways are expected to continue with Goldschmidt in the fold. In fact, the team is projected to finish the 2019 season at the top of their division.
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