Paul Goldschmidt at a bargain price might be just what the Twins need

Goldschmidt's offensive numbers were down overall in 2024, but his bat heated up in the second half of the season.

Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder Paul Goldschmidt (46) takes a lead from third base against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Rather than running onto the field with Eddy Julien and Jose Miranda platooning at first base in 2025, how about the Minnesota Twins open the wallet and try to convince seven-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt to sign?

Goldschmidt, 37, slashed .245/.302/.414 with 22 homers, 33 doubles and 65 RBIs in 154 games with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024. That's about on par with what outgoing Twins free agent Carlos Santana produced, slashing .238/.328/.420 with 23 homers, 26 doubles and 71 RBIs and a gold glove at first base in 150 games.

Is Goldschmidt affordable for a Twins team that allegedly wants to keep the payroll around $130 million? If Spotrac's estimated market value is correct, then Goldschmidt might be in Minnesota's price range at $12.3 million per season.

The Twins say they are in the market — mainly looking at trades — for a right-handed bat, primarily someone who can play first base and/or corner outfield positions.

While Goldschmidt's 2024 season was a down year overall, he seemed to flip the switch once July rolled around.

From the start of the season until the end of June, Goldschmidt slashed .225/.294/.361 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs in 80 games. From July to the end of the season, he slashed .269/.310/.473 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs in 76 games.

He went from producing a negative-6.5 offensive war in the first 80 games to a plus-6.2 offensive WAR in the last 76 games.

Goldschmidt is just over two years removed from winning the NL MVP in 2022 and Minnesota getting him at a potential bargain price would be really smart move. Do they have the financial flexibility to pull it off and would Goldschmidt even entertain the Twins when there are other contenders likely to be showing interest?

It's an idea worth exploring.