The St. Louis Cardinals appear to be longshots to reach the postseason this year, which means they may make a few adjustments in the offseason.
One question they'll have to answer is whether or not they will keep slugger and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. The 36-year-old has had a down season but has gotten hot in the month of September.
He is hitting .290 since the All-Star break but is a free agent at the end of the season. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes that St. Louis will ultimately re-sign the former National League MVP.
"There is mutual interest between Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals in coming to terms on a new deal this offseason, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch," Reuter wrote. "If he is willing to take a sizable pay cut over his current $26 million salary, he might still have enough left in the tank to make an impact."
The Cardinals do have several internal options to replace Goldschmidt in the event that he walks. They could move Alec Burleson to first base or even give Luken Baker a shot, with other options being Brendan Donovan and Jordan Walker.
This is what is going to make this decision so difficult for St. Louis. While Goldschmidt is performing well now, his 2024 season has been a disappointment.
For the season, he owns a .247 batting average and has a career-low 99 OPS+.
Still, the Cardinals could keep him around, though with him turning 37 in September, he may ultimately return to St. Louis in a reduced role rather than remain the everyday first baseman.
We'll see what the Cardinals decide to do with the former MVP.
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