10 players who could replace Paul Goldschmidt at first for the Cardinals

Yandy Diaz

I've actually been on the Yandy Diaz train since September. He's been an above-average offensive first baseman with a penchant for getting on base. He's also quite affordable with a meager $8 million total to his name for 2025.

The 33-year-old first baseman bats from the right side, and he's at his best when he hits for average. While the home runs won't blow anyone away -- he has just 75 total in over 3,000 plate appearances -- having someone you can trust to get on base as often as Diaz does bodes well for a lineup.

Diaz is a career .288/.373/.433 hitter for an OPS+ of 126. He won the American League batting title and a Silver Slugger award in 2023 thanks to a .330 batting average and 22 home runs. Offense in general was down this year, but Diaz was still able to finish with a .281/.341./.414 line and a 116 OPS+. He hit 14 home runs in 145 games.

Defensively, Diaz grades out negatively at first base for the most part. After being a positive defender from 2018 through 2023, he took a step back according to outs above average last year with a total of -6 overall.

Diaz is inexpensive in 2025, and he has a club option worth $12 million for 2026. If the Cardinals are unhappy with his performance after this next year, they can simply decline his option and walk away. If they are happy, they can opt-in for 2026 and have themselves a fine first baseman for a bargain. This would be a good trade for the Cardinals depending on, of course, the return the Tampa Bay Rays ask for.