Cardinals: Why trading Paul Goldschmidt might make sense

Cardinals fans, I hear you. This concept is not one that fans have even begun to remotely consider. And it's highly unlikely that this will happen. But with the way things have gone this season, you can't rule anything out just yet.

Paul Goldschmidt had a season to remember in 2022, hitting .317 with 35 home runs and 115 RBI. The veteran slugger also reached base at a .404 clip, slugged .578, and had an OPS of .982. All of this was enough for him to earn the National League MVP Award at the end of the season. Given all that, it's easy to understand why Cardinals fans would scoff at the idea of him being traded. And if the Cardinals creep back into contention, then this wouldn't make sense, as Josh Jacobs discussed on the site recently.

The Cardinals picked up Goldschmidt from the Diamondbacks prior to the 2019 season. In that deal, the Cardinals sent Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly, and Andrew Young back to Arizona. The move immediately gave the Cardinals a much-needed offensive boost after years of lacking a true middle-of-the-order threat. The 35-year-old was one of five Cardinals to be selected to the NL All-Star squad last summer, joining Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado, Miles Mikolas, and Albert Pujols. He was even the starting first baseman on the team.

This season, he's homered 10 times and hit for a .286 average while driving in 27 runs and posting a respectable OPS of .876. But with the trade deadline looming and the Cardinals currently in limbo on what direction they'll be headed in, this is something that may be considered. Here are three reasons why it might make sense for the Cardinals to trade Goldschmidt.

Here are some reasons why trading Paul Goldschmidt may make sense for the Cardinals