Cardinals Star Advised To End Stint With St. Louis By Signing With Astros

Changes certainly are on the way for the Cardinals

Apr 27, 2024; Mexico City, Mexico; A large Houston Astros helmet at the MLB World Tour Mexico Series game at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have a clear need at first base and one St. Louis Cardinals star has been mentioned as a solution.

Houston will be looking to bolster the first base spot this winter, and Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is one of the top options available on the open market. There are other options, like Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, but Goldschmidt likely will be a cheaper option.

It's unclear where he will go, but it is clear that he won't be back in St. Louis. The Athletic's Tim Britton, Chad Jennings, and Aaron Gleeman suggested the Astros as a fit at a predicted $15 million price tag.

"For the first time in his career, Paul Goldschmidt was classified as a below-average hitter, after posting career-worst numbers across the board," Britton, Jennings, and Gleeman said. "Just two seasons removed from a 177 OPS+ MVP campaign, Goldschmidt had a 98 OPS+ over 154 games. At 37 years old, he can still hit the ball plenty hard, but his once-excellent strike-zone control has deteriorated, with his strikeout rate jumping and walk rate plummeting.

"That’s typically a very bad sign for a late-30s slugger, but the seven-time All-Star continued to feast on lefties and the Hall of Fame-caliber résumé should convince some contenders to pursue a bounce-back bet with a relatively modest one-year deal...Britton's projection: one year, $15 million. Best fits: ARI, HOU, NYY."

Goldschmidt certainly will be leaving. Could he join Houston?

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