Cardinals Gold Glover Projected To Land $18 Million Deal Despite Recent Regression

The St. Louis fan favorite might have some juice left in the tank

Aug 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals aren't focused on building the most competitive big-league roster this winter after declaring an organizational shift to their youth movement.

The Cardinals' youth-laden roster is experiencing growing pains. After missing the playoffs two seasons in a row, St. Louis is hitting the reset button and several stars will likely play elsewhere in 2025.

A fan favorite who logged the worst season of his career at the plate this season likely won't wear the birds on the bat next year but an insider predicts he's not yet done adding to his illustrious career stats.

"Paul Goldschmidt, first baseman -- projected contract: one-year, $18 million," ESPN's Kiley McDaniel wrote Friday when discussing free agents worth investing in this winter. "Goldschmidt's five-year, $130 million contract extension just ended, he turned 37 years old recently and the Cardinals chose not to give him the qualifying offer on his way to free agency after his worst season of his 14-year MLB career," McDaniel continued. "Those facts alone would suggest he's toast and could be a candidate to retire before 2025 ends, but that's not what I see."

Goldschmidt 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.

"If you look at his numbers before and after July 21, he was markedly different: He cut his strikeout rate 6% and raised his isolated power from .140 to .217," McDaniel went on to say. "If you extrapolate his second-half production to a full season, his numbers are almost back to the 3.4-WAR version he showed in 2023. Having a chance at getting a version of that guy on a one-year deal for less than the $21.05 million qualifying offer and with no draft pick compensation attached suddenly seems like a nice opportunity without much risk."

McDaniel's stance on Goldschmidt's remaining potential suggests the five-time Silver Slugger could return to his old self at the plate next season. Unfortunately, the Cardinals aren't likely to take a chance on Goldy's offensive resurgence in 2025. It'll be interesting to see if a change of scenery will help the seven-time All-Star revive his career.

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