Cardinals News: Paul Goldschmidt suitors, JJ Wetherholt comp, Steven Matz trade

Story update: Paul Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal with the New York Yankees today. You can find details about that signing here. You can still read below about his other suitors, as well as updates on Steven Matz's trade market and a player comp for Cardinals' prospect JJ Wetherholt from Baseball America.

The St. Louis Cardinals almost had big news this week after discussions with the Houston Astros regarding Nolan Arenado seemed to be progressing. Unfortunately for both sides, Arenado blocked the trade "for now", but Houston has already pivoted to their next guy.

It was reported on Friday that the Astros came to an agreement with free agent first baseman Christian Walker on a three-year, $60 million deal, effectively ending their pursuit of Arenado just days after a deal was getting close to finalized. Not only does that remove a potential destination for Arenado though, but it also removes the Astros from the list of suitors for Paul Goldschmidt.

Mark Feinsand, John Denton, and Bryan Houch of MLB.com confirmed last night that the Yankees are very interested in bringing in Goldschmidt, and could see it as an opportunity to lure Arenado there as well.

Goldschmidt, coming off a down year with the Cardinals, will still be an intriguing option for a variety of contenders. There has been a lot of great reporting recently on other teams that have expressed interest in Goldschmidt. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned that the New York Mets have expressed interest in Goldschmidt, and the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers are possible suitors. He also mentioned that the Arizona Diamondbacks may be motivated to pursue a reunion now as well.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today has reported the Mets and Giants' interest as well but has also added teams like the Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners, and Milwaukee Brewers to the list of interested clubs as well.

Where Goldschmidt ends up won't have much of an impact on the Cardinals, unless of course, he goes to a destination where Arenado would want to join him, but it will be interesting to see if he can impact a club's chances at World Series contention.

Cardinals News: JJ Wetherholt comp, Steven Matz trade

As the Cardinals look toward the future and revamp their player development, they are hitching their wagons to the future of JJ Wetherholt, the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Wetherholt was seen as the favorite to be drafted first overall going into the collegiate season, but a hamstring injury dropped him in some rankings. Even on draft night, many expected him to go first, and the industry was shocked that the Cardinals were able to end up with him.

Geoff Pontes of Baseball America was on the latest episode of The Best Podcast in Baseball alongside Goold and shared a player comp that he had also shared a few weeks ago on a chat recapping the Cardinals' top 10 prospects going into 2025. Pontes compared Wetherholt to current free agent Alex Bregman, a two-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, and recipient of both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.

Bregman is a career .848 OPS and 132 OPS+ hitter, with yearly averages of .272/.366/.483 with 28 home runs and 97 RBI. Pontes praised Wetherholt for being one of the best college bats of the last decade, mixing incredible bat-to-ball skills, and the ability to do damage with pitches in the zone while having elite plate discipline. In Pontes' assessment, he thinks Wetherholt could become a true difference-making bat for the Cardinals, likely ending up as a third baseman long-term but could stick at shortstop or transition to second base.

Quite the comp for Wetherholt. and the Cardinals would be ecstatic if he could become a player like Bregman.

Back on the whole major league roster reset then though, the Cardinals continue to shop Arenado, but the next most likely name to move in a trade is left-hander Steven Matz. In the report regarding the Yankees' interest in Goldschmidt and Arenado, tidbits were included as well that the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers have both expressed interest in Matz along with starter Erick Fedde.

Due $12.5 million in 2025, moving Matz's money will help the Cardinals accomplish their goal of shedding payroll for next season while also creating more opportunities for young arms in their system.

Granted, the club may end up bringing back Kyle Gibson if they move Matz, a nugget of news I covered in our last news update.