5 ways the St. Louis Cardinals have proven they've learned from past mistakes in 2024

Learning #2 - Not handing out an early extension to an aging veteran again

I think we all just assumed the Cardinals would extend Paul Goldschmidt this past offseason. It's just what the Cardinals tend to do, right?

Then they didn't. And the very reasons why John Mozeliak said the Cardinals were hesitant were the very issues that would have made any extension look like a major mistake right now.

Paul Goldschmidt won the National League Most Valuable Player award just two years ago. Then his production declined quite a bit last year but he still made for a 20% above-league-average hitter at the plate. Well, now Goldschmidt has been well below league average at the plate this year and looks destined to be on another team or retire following the season.

The Cardinals have gotten flack for extending their club icons for too much money late in their careers. Matt Carpenter's second extension was a massive failure in St. Louis. Adam Wainwright's final contract was even worse. Yadier Molina was vastly underperforming his last few years yet being paid like a top catcher. Even Miles Mikolas just inked himself an extension last spring, a full season before hitting free agency.

The main problem Cardinals fans have rightfully had with these moves is when they are handed out too early. The Cardinals did not have to extend Carpenter when they did. They also didn't have to give Mikolas the contract they gave him either when they did. If they had just waited a bit longer, it would have been clear that neither deal was a good idea.

Do the Cardinals deserve some pat on the back for not making that signing early? No, but it is at least a good sign that in the case of a possible future Hall of Famer like Goldschmidt, they were able to refrain from that mistake happening again. Perhaps it is a sign of wiser decisions in these unique cases moving forward.