4 reasons why the Cardinals would be insane to trade Paul Goldschmidt

Reason #4 - Paul Goldschmidt can help this team in 2025 and beyond

It's hard to say how much longer Paul Goldschmidt will be an All-Star level player, but if I had to bet right now, I still think he's at least playing at that level through the 2025 season, even if he's not the MVP he once was.

Goldschmidt hasn't really shown true signs of slowing down, and although that could turn sideways in the next 12 months, I'd bet against that. If you look at Goldschmidt's Baseball Savant page, you'll actually see improvement in almost every underlying statistic from his 2022 MVP year, as he is barreling the ball up more, making harder contact, and has a higher expected batting average and slugging percentage.

As this team continues to bring up young talents like Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Tink Hence, Cooper Hjerpe, and others, along with Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, and Matthew Liberatore, they are best set up for success by meeting their promotions with a strong veteran group of players that are already on the roster and more that they can acquire in free agency and trade. If they play their cards right, they can utilize the cost-controlled years of that young talent to spend on other positions, and really increase their chances from 2024-2026.

If they choose to trade Goldschmidt now, they are giving up a blue-chip talent for a prospect package that I doubt will measure up to the production he gives another team, and the money they "save" would not be enough to replace his presence.

We can revisit this conversation in July if the team completely falls apart and it looks like a true rebuild is needed. But if this continues to look more like a retool is needed, then Goldschmidt should not be on the table in trade negotiations.