I wrote a story awhile back about how I thought the Cardinals should have traded Paul Goldschmidt at the deadline last year.
Obviously, there’s no sense in harping on last year’s disaster of a season and it’s better to just focus on 2024. But I do stand by that statement and believe it would have been the right call.
However, there might still be a chance to trade him, which would come at the trade deadline. I recognize this won’t be a popular idea, but I actually am in favor of the Cardinals doing this. Let me explain.
Cardinals need to capitalize on a Goldy trade
Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I love Goldy. I’m very glad he’s a part of the team and feel fortunate that we got to see him pop off in 2022 the way he did.
A trade of Goldschmidt would certainly be hard to stomach for the fanbase, including me. But just hear me out on this.
Last year at the deadline, his value was high coming off his MVP campaign, and the Cardinals could have added some young controllable starters they could have penciled into their rotation for this year had they capitalized on this opportunity. They may not have had to go get Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn even.
But why do it this year? Well, keep in mind that he’s going to be 37 in September and is in the last year of his contract. Sadly, I don’t think a contract extension is likely and I think this will be Goldy’s last year in St. Louis, which is frustrating considering that the Cardinals wasted several years of his prime.
So, the Cardinals need to do what the Angels failed to do last at year with Shohei Ohtani.
Granted, Goldschmidt’s value is probably slightly lower considering he had a down year last year and is an aging player a year away from free agency. But he’s still a great player and the Cardinals could get something for him. If they don’t do this, they’ll essentially lose him for nothing.
Now yes, Goldschmidt does have a no-trade clause and would have to approve any deal, and if the Cardinals are in contention, he won’t want to go to a non-contender. Which is why if they do contend, they should find another contender with controllable, Major League ready starting pitching and do a need-for-need swap.
While it seems counterintuitive at first, it’s important to remember that the Cardinals have a lot of depth on the position player side. Victor Scott II is knocking on the door, and you can’t keep him in the minors much longer.
The Cardinals could then start him in center field, move Tommy Edman back to second base, and move Brendan Donovan to first base.
As much as fans want Goldschmidt extended, I don’t think it’s going to happen. But who might be willing to take him if the Cardinals do decide to deal him?
In my prior piece, I talked about the Mariners and how I thought they could have sent back Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. At this point, it’s unlikely that they’d be willing to give up both of them, but the Cardinals could still go for at least one of them and bolster the rotation with high-upside and several years of team control.
Pitching needs to be the priority for St. Louis, especially starting pitching. Whether they’re in contention or choose to sell again, they need to find a contender with a lot of pitching depth like the Mariners and get a deal done with an eye on the future.
I’m not suggesting they should throw away the season if they’re in contention, but for the past several years they have been short on pitching and need more of it to be a consistent contender. Trading Goldschmidt, who likely won’t be back in 2025, obviously isn’t a popular idea, but it’s something that needs to be considered if they want good pitching instead of going for bargain deals.
Every good trade hurts at least a little bit to make.