What will the St. Louis Cardinals do with superstar first baseman Paul Goldschmidt?
The seven-time All-Star joined the Cardinals ahead of the 2019 season and has been impressive ever since. Goldschmidt has been as advertised since joining the Cardinals and even won the 2022 National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Although this is the case, there have been questions about his future with the organization. St. Louis had one of the worst teams in recent memory in 2023. The Cardinals were one of the biggest sellers ahead of the trade deadline and there was speculation that the club would trade away Goldschmidt or Nolan Arenado.
The Cardinals ultimately held on to both stars and have hinted that they are interested in locking up Goldschmidt to an extension because he will be a free agent at the end of the 2024 season.
While there have been some rumors on the contrary, St. Louis still is hoping to sign Goldschmidt to an extension this offseason, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.
"The Cardinals have stated, on the record, that their preference is to extend Goldschmidt," Goold said. "Cost will always always always always be a factor, of course, and keep in mind that the salary the Cardinals can offer Goldschmidt is limited by CBA rules on the pay cut he can take without becoming a free agent.
"He is set to make $22 million in 2024, and that salary can only be reduced by 20% (at most) in an extension for 2025, so you're talking about a salary of at least $17.6 million. That gives you the sense of where the talks will go because if we strip the dollar figure from your question, the Cardinals have already given their answer, and their preference, right now, is to sign Goldschmidt to the extension, keep him at first base."
It's unclear what exactly will happen or what a deal could look like, but don't be surprised if one gets done this offseason.
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