It’s no question that the St. Louis Cardinals need an impact bat. But where do you get that impact bat? If you poll the fans, you would get a ton of votes for Bryce Harper, you’d probably see a few still on the Manny Machado train, but an interesting name that is gaining traction is Paul Goldschmidt.
Ken Rosenthal on Twitter
Astros, #STLCards are the two teams that have had the most meaningful discussions with the #DBacks about a trade for Paul Goldschmidt, sources tell The Athletic. No deal is close; talks not yet advanced.
I’m intrigued by the thought of going after Paul Goldschmidt for a number of reasons. However, there are a number of folks that have issues with bringing him in from Arizona. As someone who can understand this hesitancy, let’s look at both sides of the argument.
Pro – Impact Bat
Here’s an easy pro. Goldschmidt can hit. He owns a career slash line of .297/.398/.532 with a 162 game average of 31 Home Runs and 105 RBIs. That’s the kind of hitter the Cardinals need. He also owns a .930 career OPS and and OPS + of 145. It’s still a mystery why he hasn’t won an MVP award. He has a career fWAR of 36.3 which is good for 7th best in MLB since he joined the league in 2011.
Con – Rental Player
There is no guarantee that Goldschmidt would agree to a contract extension so let’s just get rid of that hypothetical for now. Like I mentioned above, Goldschmidt is an impact bat, but the Cardinals would need to build around a move like this to enhance their ability to make a playoff run. If the Cardinals don’t make the playoffs, the Cardinals essentially traded multiple players for a dead season. The Cardinals haven’t seemed to interested in trading for rentals before, but not many players have the talent of Goldschmidt either.
Pro – Legitimate First Baseman
No offense to Jose Martinez or Matt Carpenter, but neither one of those guys are legitimate first basemen. Paul Goldschmidt could make the defense better without any question. Paul DeJong and Kolten Wong were among the best at their respective positions on defense. If you add Paul Goldschmidt, I guarantee their numbers get even better. The front office has said for years they want this team to be better defensively, while also throwing a first baseman into the outfield and moving an outfielder to first base… Yeah I don’t know why that happened.
Con – Prospect Cost
This is a definitely an argument I can understand. Despite the fact that Goldschmidt is only under contract for one more season, the Diamondbacks will still want top prospects from the Cardinals. One way to help justify the cost would be to add Zack Greinke to the deal. I can’t see the Cardinals having to give up much more for a package deal given the amount left on Greinke’s contract. But this isn’t about Greinke, it’s about Goldschmidt. If the Cardinals are in exclusively on Goldschmidt, be prepared to say goodbye to a couple solid young arms (Dakota Hudson, Ryan Helsey, etc)
Pro – The Front Office Looks Serious
Even if Goldschmidt doesn’t re-sign after the 2019 season, adding his bat shows the Front Office is serious about winning. They see that 85-90 wins may not be good enough and they are willing to spend on a bat that gets them over the hump. That’s something I can get behind. The Cardinals farm system shows depth at multiple positions. Trading some of that depth will not hinder the Cardinals future.
Con – Matt Carpenter Moves to 3B
Now, if you look at the metrics, Matt Carpenter isn’t a terrible third baseman. The reason this is a con is because fans seem to think it’s a travesty if we have Matt Carpenter playing third.
Aaron Mullins on Twitter
Already asked the question, but let’s get the numbers. What is your biggest problem with trading for Paul Goldschmidt? #STLCards
I would actually be curious to see how having Goldschmidt would change our views of Carpenter at third. If Goldy helps Carpenter to cut down errors I don’t mind at all. I think most fans are worried about Carpenters throwing arm. Which… Well… I’ve seen it. Definitely leaves much to be desired, but I think his offense makes up for any defensive deficiency we might see at third base.
Fans who want Goldschmidt can think of many more Pros, while fans who want nothing to do with him are more than comfortable letting you know why. I’m not leaning one way over the other at this point. I think Goldschmidt is a great player and he would certainly make the team better. That’s no question. But I personally would like the Cardinals to pursue some other players before going after Goldschmidt. If this is the big off-season move, I’m not going to be upset. Paul Goldschmidt would look very good in a Cardinals Uniform.
What are your thoughts? Send them my way on Twitter @AaronArchCity
Thanks for Reading
Aaron M.
