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

The Cardinals May Be Out Of Contention

As much as we all hope this isn't the case come the trade deadline, it's very possible that by then, the Cardinals will be well out of postseason contention and longshots to reach the postseason for a fifth straight year. There's still time for them to turn it around, as John Mozeliak has constantly preached, but the clock is ticking, and fast.

At 26-37 as of Friday, the Cardinals are in last place in the NL Central and own the third-worst record in the National League as a whole. They're eight games back of the Brewers for first place and seven back of the Pirates in the Wild Card race. This next stretch against the Reds and Giants could very well define their season. If the Cardinals continue to slip, then there will certainly be teams calling around for the services of Goldschmidt, whether they want to trade him or not. It might be worth seeing what they can get for the future in exchange.