4 players the Cardinals should have cut bait with before their trade value dipped

First basemen Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Goldschmidt was the National League MVP in 2022. You wouldn’t trade a reigning MVP unless you were starting a rebuild, which the Cardinals obviously weren’t planning on doing. He’s in his late 30s and in the homestretch of his current contract, could the Cardinals have moved Goldschmidt with that MVP season still fresh in everyone’s minds? 

The Cardinals would’ve had to of gotten a significant return if they decided to trade Goldschmidt, an everyday first baseman who hits in the middle of the lineup and plays Gold Glove defense is something every team would love to have. I wrote during the offseason about the potential pros and cons of trading Goldschmidt, it’s a very interesting situation if you consider it, but there’s no evidence that the Cardinals were shopping Goldschmidt, but should they have? 

A slight decline from 2022 should’ve been expected but it’s been a little more than slight. Goldschmidt has improved from his dreadful start to the 2024 season, but his overall numbers show he may be having the worst season of his career. His .230 average and his below .300 on base are the lowest in his career, the strikeout numbers are up while his power numbers are down, which is very alarming.

The chance to trade Goldschmidt, who will turn 37 in September, is now gone, as he is expected to hit the free-agent market after this season. And with the Cardinals in the middle of competing for a playoff spot, they would have to be completely wowed to move Goldschmidt at this time, assuming any teams would be interested in him. You are running the risk of losing him in free agency for nothing if you can’t bring him back, so did the Cardinals miss an opportunity here? Could a player one season out of winning an MVP gotten them a front-line starter? All we know is we aren’t going to be able to ask that question again.