The Arizona Diamondbacks are officially the losers of the Paul Goldschmidt trade.
The Diamondbacks announced Sunday that they have designated catcher Carson Kelly for assignment. While a relatively insignificant move in-and-of itself, Kelly represents the last piece the Diamondbacks acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2018 Goldschmidt trade.
Arizona traded Goldschmidt to the Cardinals on Dec. 5, 2018, with Kelly, Luke Weaver and Andrew Young coming back in return. Young played in 70 MLB games for the Diamondbacks in 2020 and 2021, hitting .205 before being lost in the Rule 5 Draft in the winter of 2021. Weaver, the supposed prize of the trade, flashed his potential with a 2.94 ERA in 12 starts in 2019, but saw his career derailed by elbow and shoulder injuries. Kelly hit .230 over five seasons with little consistent power over five seasons in Arizona.
The Diamondbacks did use the competitive balance pick they landed in the trade to draft outfielder Dominic Fletcher, who has been solid since making his MLB debut this season, but that is little solace.
Goldschmidt, meanwhile, has continued to be a star for the Cardinals. He won a Gold Glove for his play at first base in 2021 and earned NL MVP honors last season while consistently delivering 30 home runs a summer in St. Louis.
The Diamondbacks are making progress, though their very promising 2023 season has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks. Their rebuild, however, has progressed without any help from such a major trade.
More must-reads: