December 5, 2018

Cardinals Hit Goldschmidt

The St. Louis Cardinals made a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks to bring to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis:

The Cardinals landed Paul Goldschmidt in a four-player deal that sent catcher Carson Kelly, righthanded pitcher Luke Weaver and minor-league infielder Andy Young to Arizona. The deal also includes a compensation round draft pick in the 2019 draft.

Goldschmidt, 31, has one year remaining on his contract and will be a free agent a year from now. The Cardinals have wanted to acquire a player who they could spend a season with and determine if the pairing is a lasting fit. The Cardinals would then seek to extend Goldschmidt before he reaches free agency.

Goldschmidt averaged 5.5 fWAR over the last six seasons, never really having a poor season in the bunch. He will play 2019 as a 31-year-old, meaning he’s more likely to decline than not. The one year trial is a good idea, especially if Goldschimdt shows a bigger than expected decline.

The Diamondbacks get a light-hitting catcher in Kelly, and a high strikeout pitcher in Weaver. Young seems to be the gem of the deal, a middle infielder who gets on base at a high rate, but was still playing some A ball the last two seasons. He should be able to step into a major league role quickly.

It’s interesting that they are trading Goldschmidt now rather than wait for the July trade deadline, when they might have received a better package. This way the team saves money and starts the rebuild immediately.

Update: It would appear the Cardinals are no longer interested in Bryce Harper:

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