Cardinals Slugger Continues to Be Linked as Potential Fit for Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking for power and average at the corner and one player could provide both.

Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

What should the Philadelphia Phillies do at the trade deadline? ESPN has one idea, and it’s one you’ve heard before.

The site published a piece that selected one player that each team should either trade away or trade for by the Aug. 1 deadline. For the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies, that player was one and the same.

The site believes the Cardinals should trade Paul Goldschmidt to the Phillies.

It’s one of the more persistent rumors of the trade deadline so far. And it’s a marriage that could be beneficial to both parties, as ESPN explains:

Injuries to Rhys Hoskins and Darick Hall have led to offensive issues at both infield corners for the Phillies. They’re 20th in OPS at first base and 26th at third. Acquire Goldschmidt and they at least can move Alec Bohm, defensive warts and all, back to third. Hoskins is a free agent, so Goldschmidt fills a hole at first for 2024 as well.

There is the matter of Goldschmidt’s contract. He’s owed $26 million next season, so that’s a big price tag to assume if you’re the Phillies. But Goldschmidt is nothing if not consistent on offense.

The price? That may be the rub for the Phillies. The Cardinals are looking for help in their starting rotation. ESPN theorized that the price could be either Andrew Painter, whom the Phillies hoped would play in the Majors this year before an arm injury, or Mick Abel, who is at Double-A Reading but coming on fast.

Would the Phillies pay it to improve their offensive fortunes on the corner? We’ll see.

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