In a recent chat with readers, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discussed the futures of a handful of pending free agents on the Cardinals roster. Most notable among them is seven-time All-Star and 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt, who Goold noted the club would talk with after the season “about what a return looks like.” Goold went on to compare the situation with Goldschmidt to the one the club experienced with longtime Cardinal Adam Wainwright late in his career when Goold notes the club allowed him to reach free agency before finalizing a previously agreed-upon deal.
That framing of the situation indicates that there’s a strong mutual interest in Goldschmidt’s stay in St. Louis extending beyond this season. The veteran first baseman, 37 next month, has spent the last six years with the Cardinals after arriving in St. Louis in a trade that brought his tenure with the Diamondbacks to an end one year before he would’ve otherwise been scheduled to reach free agency. While Goldschmidt’s thirties with the Cardinals haven’t been quite as productive as his twenties in Arizona, he’s still among the game's most reliable offensive talents with a .286/.373/.500 slash line (138 wRC+) with St. Louis entering the 2024 campaign.
Given his consistency at the plate and his still-recent MVP campaign in 2022, Goldschmidt entered the 2024 season looking as though he might be one of the offseason’s most attractive offensive talents despite his advanced age. A difficult 2024 campaign has changed that, however, as the veteran has hit just .228/.288/.384 (91 wRC+) in 110 games this season. Age-related decline becomes a concern for most any player as their career advances into their mid-to-late thirties, and for Goldschmidt to have the first below-average offensive season of his career at age 36 surely sets off alarm bells for some interested clubs.
Given Goldschmidt’s struggles this year, it’s easy to see how a reunion could make the most sense for all sides. After all, the Cardinals lack a clear heir to Goldschmidt at first base among their corps of young hitters, which is populated primarily by middle infield and outfield options. Luken Baker is the only first baseman on the 40-man roster controlled for the 2025 season, and the 27-year-old has yet to appear in the big leagues this year after a 33-game cup of coffee in 2023 where he struck out at a 31.3% clip and mustered a wRC+ of just 79. Retaining Goldschmidt would allow the club to keep a respected and decorated veteran who has had success in the recent past in the fold while they sort out long-term options at first base.
Meanwhile, a reunion would offer Goldschmidt a comfortable and familiar place to try and bounce back in 2025 with an organization that has stuck by him as their everyday first baseman even amid his hitting woes this season. It’s also worth noting that there’s some reason for optimism regarding Goldschmidt baked into his more recent performance this season. After an ice-cold start to the season where he posted a paltry .530 OPS in 37 games, Goldschmidt has bounced back somewhat with a more respectable .247/.294/.446 in his last 316 trips to the plate. That figure is good for an above-average wRC+ of 108.
Setting aside Goldschmidt, Goold goes on to suggest that there are at least two other pending free agents the Cardinals could explore reunions with this winter: relievers Keynan Middleton and Andrew Kittredge. Of the two, Goold seems to imply that a reunion with Middleton is more likely, adding that there’s “mutual interest” in working out a deal with the 30-year-old who has missed the entire 2024 campaign due to season-ending flexor tendon surgery.
The Cardinals hold a $6M club option with a $1M buyout on Middleton’s services for the 2025 campaign, but after the righty missed his first year with the club it wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise to see St. Louis brass decline that option in hopes of re-signing Middleton to a smaller guarantee. The righty posted a 3.38 ERA in 51 games with the White Sox and Yankees last year and was particularly impressive during his time in the Bronx when he pitched to a 1.88 ERA and struck out 30.4% of opponents. As for Kittredge, the 34-year-old righty has performed solidly in his first season with the club with a 3.12 ERA with a 4.19 FIP in 49 innings of work and will likely be eyeing a raise over the $2.263M salary he’s earned in his final trip through arbitration this year.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
The New York Mets have been in a slump for a couple of weeks now, and it is putting their playoff chances in some serious jeopardy. After Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, the Mets have lost 13 of their past 15 games and have seen a once-comfortable lead in the wild-card race nearly completely disappear. Following Thursday's results, the Mets have the slimmest of leads over the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League, sitting just 0.5 games ahead of them. It is a stunning reversal from where things were just a little more than two weeks ago. On July 27, the Mets completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants to win their seventh game in a row and improve to 62-44 on the season. They were not only six games ahead of the Reds in the playoff race, but they were on top of the National League East (holding a 1.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies) and were just a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the National League. Now all of that is gone. As of Thursday night, the Mets trail the Phillies by five games in the NL East, they are 12.5 games back of the Brewers for the top spot in the NL overall and now only have half a game of cushion over the Reds. They also have the St. Louis Cardinals (3.5 back) right behind them and gaining ground. Manager Carlos Mendoza tried to remain optimistic while also acknowledging they are not playing well. The Mets' bats have been a big source of frustration during this slump, but it's not the only issue. The bullpen has also been a major problem, and key trade-deadline addition Ryan Helsley contributed to that on Thursday by giving up two runs in the top of the eighth inning to turn a 3-2 Mets lead into a 4-3 deficit. Whether it is the bats, the arms or the defense causing the problem, the common result remains the same — more losses. Now the Mets find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race, fighting for a spot. It was not that long ago that they seemed to be a playoff lock.
The Green Bay Packers got to practice with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, with many players missing on Matt LaFleur’s side due to injuries. As such, several younger players got to see more action on the field, and while Green Bay had success here and there, the first-team offense, without Jordan Love, reportedly struggled finding its rhythm. For tight end Tucker Kraft, the issues can be attributed to “youth” and lack of experience as a whole. “Some of our youth showed a lot,” Kraft said, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “When we’re out there, the importance is knowing what to do and doing it at a really fast speed at a very consistent level, so our youth showed a little bit in some instances with the injuries that we have on our depth chart.” Still, Kraft is looking forward to the “young guys” making better things happen in the next session with the Colts, whom they will also be facing in a preseason game on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. “You get these young guys in a situation where they might not be as confident in themselves as far as the textbook goes,” Kraft added (h/t Mike Spofford of Packers.com). “So they might not be surging off the rock, working edges, angles in the route game to the best of their ability. They got another shot with these guys, so we’ll just have to see how they do in Part 2.” Injuries have piled up for the Green Bay Packers amid NFL preseason Apart from Love, who went under the knife to repair what appears to be a minor finger issue, the Packers are also dealing with injuries to Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Xavier McKinney, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks. The hope is that at least most of them will be ready to give it a go when the Packers kick off their 2025 NFL regular season against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on September 7.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a joint practice at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday ahead of the two team's second preseason game on Saturday. The game this weekend won't feature a ton of starters from either side, so the scrimmage was the best opportunity to see what the matchup looked like with both team's starters on the field. Unfortunately, local media was not allowed to report much from the practice session, but it did come out that Pittsburgh struggled on defense, and a little brawl broke out between the two sides at one point. Practices ahead of the season always get heated, and while the Steelers were in Latrobe, the team had its fair share of inter-squad brawls. However, things especially get chippy during joint practices. This has been seen around the NFL going on every week, and most of them have some fireworks. That was the case on Thursday for Pittsburgh, as punter Cam Johnston picked a fight with Tampa Bay during a special teams period. A lot of the special teamers for Pittsburgh got in on the action during practice, as Johnston, Christian Kuntz, and Corliss Waitman all got involved in the brawl. It has been said that Johnston was not happy with how close a defender was to hitting his plant leg on a punt, which is not something you want to see, let alone during a practice period. It is definitely understandable why Johnston would have the reaction that he did during practice on Thursday. It is the same exact scenario that ended his 2024 season during the first game of the year. A blocker was rushed back into him while he was punting, and he suffered major damage to his knee that he has spent the last year rehabbing. He does not want an instance like that happening again, especially not during practice. Johnston finds himself in the middle of a position battle with Waitman, who happens to be the player that was able to pull him out of the fight during practice. Both punters will likely have starting jobs somewhere during the 2025 season, with Johnston being the favorite to stay in Pittsburgh. Waitman filled in nicely in 2024, and he has made a name for himself within punting circles in the league. The organization might look to trade one of the punters, which would probably end up being Waitman due to his lower salary. Steelers Seemed To Struggle In Joint Practice With Buccaneers As mentioned, reporting during practice was not allowed on Thursday, but it seems like Pittsburgh struggled when going up against Tampa Bay, especially in the two-minute drill. The defense had issues dealing with the talented wide receiver room of the Buccaneers, and the offense struggled to get anything going outside of a dominant seven shots period. Things are going to need to improve mightily before the regular season begins at the start of September, because after just one joint practice, this team seems like it might be more of the same of what has been seen in years past. Pittsburgh went all-in on winning during the 2025 offseason as it made significant upgrades on both sides of the football. Those upgrades don't seem to be paying off quite yet, but there is still a ton of time for that to change as the organization prepares for its second preseason game of 2025.
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus has shared his personal “Mount Rushmore of Golf,” naming the four players he believes best represent the sport’s greatness. While there could be few arguments about his picks, the 18-time major champion sparked debate among fans with one big omission. Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods Among Nicklaus’s Pick Nicklaus has won the most major championships in history with 18 victories, and fans widely regard him as one of the greatest golfers ever. “Probably Bobby Jones, probably Ben Hogan, probably Tiger Woods. I’d like to join them. Myself — that’s four,” the 85-year-old replied when asked to name his Mount Rushmore of golf. At the top of Nicklaus’s list is Bobby Jones, the amateur icon who shaped golf’s early years. Jones’s record speaks volumes. He won 13 major championships, including the remarkable Grand Slam in 1930. Beyond his achievements, he co-founded the Masters Tournament, ensuring his influence on the sport would last for generations. Next on Nicklaus’s list is Ben Hogan, whose career is best remembered for his nine major titles. After surviving a near-fatal car crash in 1949, Hogan defied the odds to win six more majors. His dedication to perfecting the golf swing made him a legend in both skill and spirit — qualities that clearly earned Nicklaus’s admiration. Finally, Nicklaus included himself on his Mount Rushmore. While it might seem bold, his record more than justifies the choice. He won 117 professional tournaments, including 73 PGA Tour wins, while his 18 major championships remain unmatched. No Place For Arnold Palmer in Nicklaus’s Mount Rushmore While Nicklaus’s choices are hard to argue with, there was no place for Arnold Palmer. Nicklaus became close friends with his rival Palmer, and together with Gary Player they dominated golf in the 1960s. Palmer won 62 PGA Tour titles and is still fifth in all-time victories behind Sam Snead, Woods, Nicklaus, and Hogan. He died in 2016 at age 87. While some might disagree with Nicklaus’s picks, Mount Rushmore lists are always subjective, as every golfer and fan uses different measures of greatness to make their picks. For instance, Tiger Woods included Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, and himself in his Mount Rushmore. Nicklaus picked the players who, in his view, shaped golf the most, even if not everyone agrees.