Cardinals Surprisingly Mentioned In Sweepstakes For Top Paul Goldschmidt Replacement

St. Louis could be in the market for a highly coveted slugger

Sep 23, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (center) speaks to the media in the dugout prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals likely have a painful offseason ahead, during which several fan favorites could sign with or be traded to new teams as the club looks to rebuild.

Arguably, the most dreaded winter decision will be neglecting to re-sign five-time Silver Slugger Paul Goldschmidt, who failed to help St. Louis win its No. 12 World Series title after five years and $130 million invested in him.

With Goldschmidt turning 38 years old next September, re-signing him doesn't make much sense for a rebuilding Cardinals franchise. Fortunately, there might be a perfect replacement for St. Louis to pursue this offseason.

"It will be interesting to see if anyone is willing to do three fully guaranteed years at north of $20M apiece for (Christian) Walker," Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote Monday morning. "Seems like a safe assumption it'll happen, though, with Houston (Astros), Seattle (Mariners), Arizona (Diamondbacks), St. Louis and both New York (Yankees and Mets) clubs needing to address their first-base situation this offseason. And if his next three seasons are anything like his last three, Walker would be worth all that and then some."

Walker has batted .250 with 312 extra-base hits including 147 home runs, 443 RBIs and a .793 OPS throughout his 10-year career between his time playing for the Baltimore Orioles and Diamondbacks.

The 33-year-old had his breakout season with the Diamondbacks in 2019 -- one entire season after Arizona traded Goldschmidt to the Cardinals in exchange for catcher Carson Kelly, infielder Andy Young and right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver, who's now the closing pitcher for the Yankees.

The two-time Gold Glove defender is one of the league's most prolific first basemen. According to Spotrac, his projected market value of roughly $65 million over a three-year deal will likely be met.

With the Cardinals looking to reduce payroll this winter, it's tough to imagine them pursuing a multi-year deal with Walker, especially if his value increases with high demand from other big-market clubs such as the Yankees and Astros.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak might already have his heart set on having Alec Burleson and Luken Baker occupy first base for 2025, so there's a chance St. Louis won't pursue a deal with Walker. Adding the powerful slugger to the lineup for next season would be tremendous but that all depends on what the front office is willing to spend this winter.

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