Reflecting on the Paul Goldschmidt-Nolan Arenado era in St. Louis

For four straight years, the St. Louis Cardinals were graced with two of the best corner infielders in the game. Both Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado called St. Louis home from 2021 through 2024. The two had been perennial MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger candidates for the better part of a decade, and they were veterans of the game.

Surely, the Cardinals would find ample success, right?

That wasn't necessarily the case, and now with Paul Goldschmidt no longer on the team and Nolan Arenado rumored to be a key trade candidate this offseason, we as fans may be witnessing the end of an (underwhelming) era.

It's time to reflect on the success -- or lack thereof -- of these two during their times in St. Louis. First, a look back on how they joined the team in the first place.

John Mozeliak traded pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, and infielder Andy Young for Goldschmidt in December of 2018, who was on an expiring contract at the time. St. Louis gave Goldy a five-year, $130 million contract extension to stay with the team through the 2024 season.

Mozeliak swindled Nolan Arenado away from the Colorado Rockies along with $51 million for pitchers Austin Gomber, Tony Locey, Jake Sommer, and infielders Mateo Gil and Elehuris Montero. Even with Arenado's struggles these last two years, the trade was a clear win for the Cardinals.

During their four years together with the Cardinals, the two infielders brought home three Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger awards, attended four All-Star games, and both finished in the top three of NL MVP voting in 2022 with Goldschmidt winning the award that year. Those are some strong accolades to have been brought back to St. Louis in a short period of time.

Where the two future Hall of Famers lose their luster would be in team performance. The Cardinals have only one division title since 2021, and they made the playoffs only half of the time with both Arenado and Goldschmidt on the roster. The club's record since 2021 is 337-311 for a .520 winning percentage. Good, not great.

However, the club's postseason success with both players on the roster has been abysmal. The Cardinals were swept in the Wild Card series in both 2021 and 2022. Arenado and Goldschmidt went a combined 2-22 in both years with no extra-base hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Both Goldschmidt and Arenado shrunk in the playoffs in both 2021 and 2022, and their underperformance was a part of the reason for why the Cardinals didn't advance past the Wild Card round in both years.

While Goldschmidt and Arenado provided some regular-season success during their time in St. Louis, their postseason struggles are what will remain with fans down the road.

John Mozeliak was able to pair two of the best players of this era on the same team for almost half a decade. Rather than experiencing playoff success and dominance in the National League Central, fans of the Cardinals witnessed two players on the downside of their careers and disappointing postseason output.

Goldschmidt and Arenado will certainly be missed in St. Louis, but we can all still wish something more was accomplished while both All-Stars were on the roster. It's a bittersweet ending to a turbulent time in Cardinal history.