The Cardinals are locked in one of the most compelling division races in MLB. At just 2.5 games behind the division-leading Brewers, every contest matters.
But for their road series against the Blue Jays this week, the Cards will be without arguably their two best players. Third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt have been ruled out due to COVID-19 vaccination rules, team president John Mozeliak announced before Sunday's game against the Reds in Cincinnati. The team placed those two, along with catcher Austin Romine, on the restricted list Tuesday.
Both players said afterward that they made personal decisions.
"It’s just a personal choice, and I’m not trying to do a political stand here or be a spokesperson for this or that," Arenado said, per MLB.com. "I’m just choosing to do what’s best for me and my family, and I mean no harm."
“It was not an easy decision, but over this year-plus that this has happened, I’ve tried to talk to as many doctors and professionals as I could, figured out as much as I could, and I decided the potential risks outweighed the potential benefits of doing it,” Goldschmidt said, as reported by MLB.com.
The Canadian government requires everyone entering the country to have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine — or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — no less than 14 days before entry.
The requirement has become part and parcel of life for MLB teams. Often, teams traveling to Toronto do so with chunks of their roster missing. Mariners ace Robbie Ray wasn't able to pitch against the club with which he won the 2021 AL Cy Young award. Most famously, 10 Royals players were barred from Kansas City's four-game series in Toronto earlier in the month.
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Goldschmidt and Arenado may be the two biggest stars to be shelved due to vaccination status. Goldschmidt is having an MVP-caliber season, hitting .333/.416/.603 with 22 home runs prior to Sunday. Arenado leads all batters with 5.2 bWAR, thanks to Platinum Glove-level defense and impressive contact skills.
"I completely respect it, if I'm being quite honest," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Arenado and Goldschmidt's vaccination stances, per MLB.com. "I've talked to all of them, and I respect and agree with their decision. I’ve got zero issue with it."
St. Louis does have youngsters capable of filling in, specifically Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman, but it will still be a challenge for a club that's entrenched in a battle for a division crown.
"I look at this the other way — the ability of the entire clubhouse to respect the decision of the two guys who have carried this team all year," Marmol said, per MLB.com "I mean we're talking about a personal decision to put something in your body that you don’t agree with."
Arenado and Goldschmidt stand to lose $384,416 and $241,758, respectively, as a result of their absence. Romine will give up $10,989.
