To no one's surprise, the Cardinals do not extend qualifying offer to any free agents

Before the 2024 season, it was a foregone conclusion that if Paul Goldschmidt reached free agency, the St. Louis Cardinals would be extending him a qualifying offer.

Well, free agency has begun, and the Cardinals did no such thing. And no one should be surprised by that.

Goldschmidt joined Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, Matt Carpenter, Keynan Middleton, and Andrew Kittredge as free agents this evening, and while there's never been a doubt about the later five not getting qualifying offers, Goldschmidt's pedigree as a player long pointed to that reality, but his struggles during the 2024 season washed those hopes away.

Had the Cardinals tagged any of their free agents with a qualifying offer, that player would have had until 4 p.m. EST on November 19th to accept or reject that one-year, $21.05 million offer, which is the average of MLB's top 125 salaries. It is rare that a player accepts the qualifying offer, as most of the time it is given to players who will likely reject it. If a team ends up signing that player, the Cardinals would have received a draft pick as compensation for losing that player.

While 13 players received qualifying offers across the league this year, Goldschmidt's .245/.302/.414 slash line from 2024 all but ensured he would not join that mix. Finishing exactly league average with a 100 wRC+, Goldschmidt was actually worse than that for sustained stretches but was able to see his overall numbers rebound a bit thanks to a few random hot streaks throughout the season.

The Cardinals have not ruled out a reunion with Goldschmidt, but it is widely expected that he will be playing elsewhere in 2025. Not only are the Cardinals cutting payroll and looking to prioritize the playing time of young talent in 2025, but Goldschmidt himself will likely want to latch on with a true contender. Still, there are scenarios out there where Goldschmidt could return.

For now, Goldschmidt and the Cardinals' other five free agents are free to negotiate with teams around the league without strings attached due to a qualifying offer. The Cardinals are unlikely to be all that active in free agency this offseason and have already publically stated they will not pursue players with a qualifying offer attached to them.