8 Cardinals who should be playing their final games for St. Louis this weekend

Paul Goldschmidt

There was a brief stretch in the second half where Paul Goldschmidt was hitting at a level that it would be foolish not to at least consider a reunion with the future Hall of Famer. But as September went on, Goldschmidt slowed down again, and unless he has a huge final series against the Giants, he will finish below league average as a hitter in 2024.

At the time of writing this, Goldschmidt is slashing .241/.299/.403 with 21 home runs and 61 RBI on the season, which grades out as a 96 wRC+ and 0.8 WAR season. Goldschmidt has completely fallen off as a hitter at this rate, and it's hard to justify bringing him back on the kind of contract I am sure he will get from somewhere.

Goldschmidt's struggles are not just a 2024 thing. The last month of his 2022 MVP campaign was ice-cold. He came into 2023 struggling a ton as well, and after catching fire in the summer, he really fell off in the second half. And now we've reached a season-long strugglefest from Goldschmidt, and it's been brutal to watch.

It has been especially hard to see how bad he has been with runners in scoring position. Goldschmidt just cannot seem to come through when it matters most, and that is a really big flaw for someone who is supposed to be a major run producer for this team.

151 games later and things never really changed for Goldschmidt. His hot streaks never really turned into sustained success, and while there may be gas left in the tank that he can unlock elsewhere, I don't think it is in the best interest of St. Louis to see if Goldschmidt can find that mojo with this organization again.

It is a shame, really. Goldschmidt has been a great Cardinal and individually has had a ton of success in St. Louis. But not much has really come from his time here in the postseason, and there was a real trajectory just two years ago for Goldschmidt to retire as a Cardinal and be inducted as a Cardinal into the Hall of Fame. I think him choosing the club as his "team" is out the door at this point.

I am sure both sides will talk about a reunion this offseason, but I think it is far more likely the club will go in a different direction and Goldschmidt will find himself with a team like Houston, Arizona, Seattle, or another contender that could use a bat in 2025.