Cardinals Insider Predicts Superstar Will Sign Extension With St. Louis

St. Louis may end up locking up one of its biggest stars this offseason to an extension

The St. Louis Cardinals have a big decision to make in the not-so-distant future. 

St. Louis star Paul Goldschmidt is set to hit free agency at the end of the 2024 season. Goldschmidt was mentioned in trade rumors throughout the 2023 season but ultimately remained with the club despite St. Louis being big sellers ahead of the trade deadline. 

There also has been plenty of speculation that the two sides could agree to a contract extension this offseason that would tie Goldschmidt to St. Louis likely for the rest of his career. At this point, it's unclear what will happen but it sounds like an extension certainly is a possibility.

Cardinals insider Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat made five bold predictions for St. Louis this offseason and mentioned a two-year contract extension could be a possibility with Goldschmidt. 

"Goldschmidt is due to hit free agency next winter, but there’s every appetite on all fronts for him to finish his career in St. Louis. Still, thanks to last season’s team-wide debacle, there appears to be no rush to finish things this winter. Spring would be a natural time for those discussions to pick up, but they may well stretch into the season.

"Matt Carpenter’s last extension in St. Louis is a looming cautionary tale but also a reasonable model if scaled up to account for Goldschmidt’s historical successes. He turns 37 in September, so a deal which takes him to the cusp of 40 – and perhaps through 40 if, say, he hits a certain threshold for plate appearances – would make sense for both sides."

While this isn't reporting that extension talks are ongoing, it at least is positive to see an insider mentioning a new contract as a possibility. Goldschmidt had a down year in 2023 but won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 2022. 

Goldschmidt is a major part of the Cardinals and at this point, it would be extremely surprising to see him playing elsewhere.

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