Cardinals Fan Favorite Reportedly Worth $15 Million; Could St. Louis Re-Sign Him?

The St. Louis slugger could be retained for another season

Aug 28, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) hits a one run single against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to spend as little as possible this winter as the front office aims to reduce payroll and focus on fixing the broken player development system.

Pursuing top free agents on the market won't be on Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak's agenda this offseason. As for St. Louis players whose contracts recently expired, it's unlikely they'll be re-signed.

However, a Cardinals fan favorite expected to sign elsewhere for 2025 was recently given an economical market value, possibly opening the door for his retention.

Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is projected to receive a one-year, $15 million contract this offseason, according to Bleacher Report's Tim Britton's contract estimates for this offseason's top free agents.

The Cardinals front office has already informed Goldschmidt that he won't be re-signed this winter and will be forced to seek the free-agent market for the first time in his illustrious 14-year career.

Sadly, the five-time Silver Slugger showed significant signs of regression over the three previous seasons, with 2024 being the year he struggled most at the plate.

The seven-time All-Star batted .245 with 55 extra-base hits including 22 home runs, 64 RBIs and a .713 OPS in 153 games played for the Cardinals this season.

Even though Goldschmidt has been told the Cardinals won't re-sign him, there's the possibility his stock plummets enough to where booking him to a one-year deal wouldn't put St. Louis in a financial bind, making it possible for Goldy to stay another season.

It's doubtful St. Louis would re-sign Goldschmidt this winter, even for a fairly reasonable price tag of $15 million, which is significantly less than his qualifying offer.

St. Louis' top priority is focusing on the youth, not retaining an aging veteran like Goldschmidt. Besides, the Cardinals already have Luken Baker and Alec Burleson to replace the four-time Gold Glove defender at first base.

More MLB: Rays $19 Million Starter Reportedly 'Could Appeal To' Cardinals In Trade Market