Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Might've Avoided Disaster By Moving On From Injured 4-Time Gold Glover

The former St. Louis slugger is already experiencing pain and discomfort
Nate Hagerty|
Sep 3, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Sep 3, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsNew York Yankees

The St. Louis Cardinals might've had one of the quietest offseasons among all big-league teams this year but at least they made the right decision by moving on from a former fan favorite.

With the Cardinals relying on their youth-laden roster to get the job done in 2025, St. Louis parted ways with several key veterans over the winter to make room for younger talent.

One of the more heartbreaking decisions made by the Cardinals front office this offseason involved parting ways with a beloved veteran who, based on his latest status update, could've been a significant liability.

"Paul Goldschmidt exited after three innings with a sore back," MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reported Monday afternoon. "He said he has been dealing with it for a couple of days and didn’t want to push it. Goldschmidt said he has 'zero' concerns about being ready for Opening Day."

Goldschmidt's five-year, $130 million contract with the Cardinals from 2019 expired this offseason, leaving the four-time Gold Glove defender stranded in the free-agent market for the first time in his illustrious 14-year career.

Fortunately for Goldschmidt, he landed a one-year, $12.5 million deal with the New York Yankees -- providing him with an opportunity to reinvent himself after showing significant signs of offensive regression throughout the two previous seasons with the Cardinals.

The 37-year-old isn't getting any younger. After seeing his home run total plummet from 35 to 22 and his OPS from .982 to .716 since his 2022 National League MVP campaign, the pressure is on for Goldschmidt to have a resurgent season at the plate.

Some predict that the seven-time All-Star could be a bust with the Yankees this upcoming season. Although purely speculative, those projections could come to fruition based on how early Goldschmidt is dealing with injury.

With Goldschmidt being sidelined before 2025 Opening Day's arrival, it's safe to say the Cardinals likely made the right decision by not re-signing the five-time Silver Slugger this offseason.

More MLB: Cardinals Finally Found Solution To Something They've 'Needed For Years' Offensively

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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