Paul Goldschmidt Breaks Silence On Return Vs. Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals were fortunate to call Paul Goldschmidt their first baseman for years, but that isn't the case any longer.

The Cardinals let Goldschmidt walk in free agency last offseason after six seaons with the organization. Goldschmidt was a leader for the franchise, not to mention also winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award as a member of the Cardinals.

St. Louis wanted to cut costs last offseason and Goldschmidt was an easy casualty for the decision making. St. Louis moved Willson Contreras to first base and moved on. Goldschmidt landed with the New York Yankees and has had a bounce-back season.

Ex-Cardinals superstar Paul Goldschmidt addresses return to St. Louis

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Now, he's back in St. Louis to take on his old team and he opened up about the return, as shared by MLB.com's Jeff Jones.

"I knew we were coming here, and I would love to play,” Goldschmidt said. “But if that wasn’t going to be possible, or it was going to be an injury risk, I understand the big picture. I was not going to try to push it any more than I would against anyone else. I don’t want to try to be selfish. I wanted to try to be here to help us, and it would’ve been the same if it was another place, as well...

"Driving in today, this was my drive every day for six years. It’s pretty cool. Probably just a lot of positive memories to try to block out the bad ones. Just all the great memories, the great games, the relationships I have with all the guys over there...I have so many fond memories, so many lifelong friends over there in that dugout. That’s gonna be fun, but once the game starts, you know how serious I am. (I) want to always go out there and, number one, try to win. I’ll say hi to people before or after the games, but I’ve got a job to do."

Goldschmidt was everything St. Louis could've asked for. His final season didn't have the prolific offensive numbers he once did, but he was great in the second half of the campaign and has parlayed that into a very solid season in New York. The Cardinals have gotten stellar play out of Contreras at first base, but Goldschmidt surely has been missed after so long with the organization. Things didn't work out in free agency, but it's nice to see him back in town.

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