Cardinals Superstar Is 'Big Name' Who Could Be Dealt If St. Louis Struggles

St. Louis needs to keep up its winning ways if it wants to keep one of its best players

May 20, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) catches a fly ball against the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals finally have started looking like the team many hoped they would be this season.

St. Louis had a devastating 2023 that led it to be sellers ahead of the trade deadline for the first time in a while. The Cardinals were in unfamiliar territory and certainly were busy this past offseason hoping to right some of the club's wrongs.

The Cardinals' biggest weakness last season was their starting rotation and the offense actually was one of the better ones in the league. St. Louis bolstered its rotation and left the offense as is with the expectation that it would be as successful as 2023.

That wasn't the case to kick off the campaign and the offense slumped while the rotation showed improvement. Many speculated that the club could be sellers once again, but the offense has clicked lately and the Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in baseball now.

If the Cardinals can keep up their current winning ways, they are much more likely to add at the deadline rather than subtract. If things change, though, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was mentioned as a "big name" who could be on the move by Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller.

"A Cardinals fire sale isn't as inevitable as it seemed to be a couple of weeks ago," Miller said. "They've clawed their way back to a .500 record, as last week's sweep of the Orioles was a massive step in the right direction for a team that was 15-24 not long ago. A Cardinals fire sale is still a possibility, though.

"The big name here is 2022 NL MVP Goldschmidt, who has not so quietly anchored this resurgence. When the Cards were 15-24, Goldy's slugging percentage (.254) was well below his career batting average (.291), but he is hitting .302 with five home runs during this 15-game run back to .500 baseball. He has made it less likely that they will sell, but has become a much more valuable trade chip."

Goldschmidt has been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the season to this point, but he has started to turn things around of late. If the Cardinals keep winning and he keeps impressing as he has lately, he is more likely to earn a contract extension rather than a trade.

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