The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to part ways with former MVP first baseman Paul Goldschmidt according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Goldschmidt was entering unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2024 season, the Cardinals will not offer him a contract to stay with the team.
Report: St. Louis Cardinals Expected To Part Ways With Former MVP
End Of A Disappointing Era
Goldschmidt signed a five-year contract with the Cardinals in 2020 worth $130 million. After spending his first eight years in the League with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was traded to the Cardinals heading into the 2019 season before signing a contract extension.
The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to part ways with seven-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt at the end of the season, multiple league sources tell The Athletic. He will be an unrestricted free agent.
Story here:https://t.co/aCTLeX64Yl
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) September 29, 2024
The first baseman won the National League MVP in 2022. It was his first MVP award after finishing in the top three of voting three times with the Diamondbacks. From 2019 to 2022 Goldschmidt played in five playoff series with the Cardinals, only winning his first one, a 2019 NLDS win over the Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals then were swept in the NLCS against the Washington Nationals. That was the furthest Goldschmidt reached in the playoffs for his career.
Goldschmidt posted a .278/.360/.483 slash line with the Cardinals over six years. In that time, he slugged 153 home runs and tallied 476 RBI. He was an All-Star just once in 2022 and won one Golden Glove at first base in 2021.
Goldschmidt Coming Off His Worst Season
2024 was the worst season of the 36-year-old Goldschmidt’s career. He posted a .245/.301/.412 slash line this season. It was his lowest full-season batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.
His 22 home runs and 64 RBI are the lowest of any season in which he played at least 110 games. He played 154 games this season. Goldschmidt played at least 140 games in 11 of his 14 seasons.
This season, the star first baseman’s struggles proved to be a linchpin in the team’s offensive struggles. Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol maintained that Goldschmidt was working through his issues at the plate all season. However, his continued struggles in the heart of the lineup were a large part of the Cardinals scoring the eighth fewest runs in the MLB this season.
Potential Replacements For The Cardinals
The Cardinals already have some options to replace Goldschmidt at first base in the organization. 25-year-old outfielder Alec Burleson could shift to first base with an offseason of training at the position. Burleson had a breakout year in 2024. He led the team with RBI at 75. He was second on the team in home runs to Goldschmidt at 21. The young outfielder posted a .266/.311/.418 slash line.
27-year-old Luken Baker is also an option for the team in 2025. The first baseman is the franchise leader in home runs with the Cardinals Triple A affiliate Memphis Redbirds. He’s played four seasons in Triple A and hit 86 home runs. This season, he slashed .231/.345/.535 with 32 home runs and 79 RBI in Memphis. In 20 games with the Cardinals, he slashed .189/.304/.432 while hitting two home runs and 10 RBI.
The Cardinals could also explore the free agency market for first baseman. The team has $26 million a year coming off the books with Goldschmidt’s departure. Some top free agents at first base heading into this offseason are the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, the New York Yankees’ Anthony Rizzo, and the Diamondbacks’ Josh Bell.
Main Photo Credits: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
