photo: Paul Goldschmidt (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon (Wednesday, December 5) that they have completed a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, acquiring six-time National League All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt in exchange for catcher Carson Kelly, right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver, minor league infielder Andy Young and the Cardinals Compensation Round B selection in the 2019 Major League Baseball amateur draft.
“We’ve been busy this off-season working to upgrade our lineup, and today we are excited to announce the acquisition of one of the game’s premier players in first baseman Paul Goldschmidt,” stated Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak.
Goldschmidt, 31, has been a National League All-Star each of the past six seasons (2013-18), and he is a four-time (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018) N.L. Silver Slugger award winner and three-time (2013, 2015, 2017) Rawlings Gold Glove award recipient. Goldschmidt is the lone N.L. player to be named an All-Star each of the past six seasons, and he’s one of just three players (Mike Trout and Salvador Pérez) in all of the majors to have done so.
The right-handed hitting Goldschmidt batted .290 in 2018 with 33 home runs and 83 RBI, finishing 6th in National League MVP voting. The 6-3, 225-pound Delaware native has compiled a career .297 batting mark with 209 HR’s and 710 RBI in 1,092 games and has hit 30 or more homers in four of the last six seasons, including a league-leading 36 in 2013 when he finished 2nd in MVP voting.
“Goldy” owns a career .398 on-base pct. and .532 slugging mark, and since 2013, ranks 2nd among National League leaders in home runs (181), RBI (602), hits (996), runs (599), walks (575), extra base hits (413). Goldschmidt is the current leader among active MLB first basemen with a .996 fielding percentage and he ranks 5th all-time in MLB history.
The Cardinals are planning to hold a press conference to introduce Goldschmidt on Friday, December 7 in St. Louis, and will have further details once they become available.
Brian Walton’s take
In my opinion, the Cardinals needed to improve the offense in 2019 and this is a very good response. This does not mean their off-season is over – that they cannot still make further moves to address additional needs, such as left-handed relief and a left-handed hitting outfielder.
Goldschmidt’s team option year 2019 salary of $14.5 million is very reasonable for a player of his stature. It is the final season of what ended up being a team-friendly, six-year, $44.5 million contract signed at the conclusion of 2013 spring training. (Update: The Cardinals will pay an extra $1 million for Goldschmidt’s trade assignment bonus, per Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch.)
Weaver, 25, had been a top prospect and earned a spot in St. Louis’ rotation coming off a nice 2017 debut, but inexplicably digressed in 2018 and was moved into the bullpen. He seemed to be on the outside looking in with regard to future rotation plans. A change of scenery could help the right-hander, who is expected to step into Arizona’s rotation.
Kelly has been in the Cardinals system since 2012. The 24-year old remains a good prospect for the long-term, but is clearly blocked by Yadier Molina for the next two seasons, so this is a better move for all parties. Kelly has already been penciled in as Arizona’s new starting catcher. The Cardinals may sign a veteran free agent to back up Molina in 2019 while prospect Andrew Knizner gains Triple-A experience.
Young was one of the fastest-rising prospects in the system in 2018, offering power from the second base spot. The 24-year old was St. Louis’ top hitter in the Arizona Fall League, where he likely drew attention. Young can also play third, but is not a shortstop, limiting his utility potential. He is a year away, not having made his regular season Triple-A debut yet. The Cardinals scouting and player development staffs did a great job finding and maximizing the value of the former 37th-round draft pick.
The competitive balance pick moving to Arizona is currently 78th overall in the 2019 draft.
With this trade, the Cardinals net down one 40-man roster spot, with Weaver and Kelly departing and Goldschmidt coming on. The current total is now 39.
All in all, this is a high price to pay, but Goldschmidt is a high-value player, the likes of which are not often available in trade. When multiple good players can be exchanged for one great one to address an obvious need, it should be done.
Nothing against the three now-former Cardinals whatsoever, all of whom are good players with years of potential MLB runway ahead. However, they will likely not be noticeably missed. The team has others in the pipeline equally – if not more – promising at their respective positions. Consider the four who went to Miami for Marcell Ozuna last year at this time. When is the last time you thought about Magneuris Sierra, Sandy Alcantara or the others? The Cardinals have enough depth they could make this trade without affecting their core of young talent.
The big risk is that Goldschmidt leaves following the 2019 season as a free agent. That is a real possibility, reinforced by a national media report that the Cardinals were turned down in an overture to discuss an extension as part of the trade. If Goldschmidt delivers as promised, they will surely keep trying, even into next off-season if necessary.
And if he leaves, St. Louis will receive a compensatory selection in the 2020 draft, but of course, would have to try to replace his offense lost. With a number of contracts coming off the books after 2019, the Cardinals should have additional “payroll muscle” next winter, whether for Goldschmidt or another acquisition from what is shaping up to be another good class of free agent hitters.
The bottom line for me is that every potential move they could have made carried some risk. If the Cardinals get back into the post-season after three years out, and perform well in October, even one year from Goldschmidt would have been worth it. Obviously, if he can eventually be convinced to $tay for a longer stint, it will be even better for the club.
I credit the Cardinals for making this proactive move to try to improve their immediate fortunes in a very competitive National League Central – where they had clearly fallen behind.
P.S. Those upset about the Cardinals not aggressively pursuing free agent outfielder Bryce Harper instead of or in addition to Goldschmidt, I encourage you to carefully re-read the quote in the Tweet below. It is several weeks old, and it should have told you all you needed to know about the team’s approach this winter.
Signing Harper would have meant not doing anything else. While possible, it was not their preferred plan. Passing on Goldschmidt while waiting for Harper could have led to a disastrous end. There is no assurance Harper, who is being pursued by a number of deep-pocketed teams and is likely in no hurry to sign based on past Boras top clients’ situations, would have eventually selected the Cardinals.
Asked about meeting a whopper, free-agent deal like Harper will command (greater than $300 million), Bill DeWitt III says, “We could do it, sure. It’s about (considering) putting all our eggs in one basket. We have the payroll room.” #stlcards #cardinals #MLB
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) November 19, 2018
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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian on Twitter.
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