Cardinals Linked To Reunion With Former MVP After Stint With Yankees

The Cardinals could reunite with Paul Goldschmidt in free agency this winter...

Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) reacts after grounding out in the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly in the midst of a full scale rebuild right now. They came into the offseason needing to make major moves in one direction or the other. The front office has chosen to blow the roster up.

St. Louis traded Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in a pair of intriguing moves to add prospects and clear money from its payroll. Recently, the Cardinals sent Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar could be the next players on the trade block.

While the Cardinals are cutting ties with all these players, they could still emerge in the market for a veteran free agent or two. This would help them fill out the roster in an affordable way while also adding potential trade candidates.

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Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report linked the Cardinals to free agent slugger Paul Goldschmidt after the veteran spent a year with the New York Yankees.

Paul Goldschmidt could be headed back to the Cardinals in free agency

Sep 20, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) hits a single during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

"Having traded away Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado for four single-A prospects and a pair of pitchers under team control through 2031, it's clear the Cardinals aren't exactly all-in on winning in 2026," Miller wrote. "They might as well take a page from the Pirates' playbook in recent years with Andrew McCutchen and bring back 1B Paul Goldschmidt on a cheap one-year deal in hopes of stoking occasional memories of a time when things weren't so bad."

Goldschmidt spent a chunk of his career with the Cardinals and earned himself the 2022 National League MVP award. The veteran slugger is seemingly on his last leg in the big leagues, so it would be a bit poetic for him to return to St. Louis. Goldschmidt could play out the rest of his big league career with the Cardinals.

But if the Cardinals sign him, there's a chance they could trade him if he plays well enough. Adding veterans is a good move for the Cardinals because if they play well, they can be traded ahead of the trade deadline. If they don't play well, it's a low risk move either way.

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