Yankees Trading Ex-Cardinals Slugger 'Could Be On The Table' For Deadline Plans

A former St. Louis Cardinals fan favorite could be on the move again this summer, depending on how the dominoes fall for the New York Yankees before the July 31st trade deadline.

Following last year's devastating Fall Classic defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees are committed to making 2025 the season they secure their 28th World Series title.

Unfortunately for New York, its rotation might not have enough depth to carry the decorated franchise deep into the postseason, unless a former Cardinals slugger is traded this summer to help the Yankees land another marquee starting pitcher.

"If a handful of things go in New York's favor, though, flipping (Paul) Goldschmidt for a starting pitcher could be on the table," Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote Tuesday morning. "The biggest one is that the 37-year-old first baseman needs to continue hitting well. While he doesn't need to stay "borderline batting title" good, Goldschmidt does need to be good enough for a prospective trade partner to feel it's actually getting an upgrade at first base. Any signs of regressing to last year's .716 OPS would keep the likes of Seattle (Mariners) and San Francisco (Giants) from even checking in on Goldy's availability."

Goldschmidt is having a resurgent offensive campaign since leaving the Cardinals over the winter as a free agent for a one-year, $12.5 million deal with the Yankees -- batting .353 with 47 hits including eight doubles and three home runs, 17 RBIs and a .881 OPS in 35 games played for the Bronx Bombers this season.

"New York could play it safe and keep all three, given Goldy's age, (Giancarlo) Stanton's injury history and (Ben) Rice's limited track record of not even 300 plate appearances in the majors," Miller continued. "What's more important, though? Injury insurance at first base/designated hitter or having someone other than Max Fried and Carlos Rodón who can be trusted even a little bit as a starter in October? We'll see how the next few months play out, but we've known for a while now that the Yankees might need to do something drastic to combat the loss of Gerrit Cole."

The five-time Silver Slugger has belted just three home runs this season but trails teammate Aaron Judge with the second-most hits (47) by any player in Major League Baseball in 2025, leading some to believe Goldschmidt's due for a power surge.

Replacing Yankees ace Cole, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Mar. 11th, won't be easy. However, if Goldschmidt continues to produce offensively, the Bronx Bombers might have an easier time landing a frontline starter before this summer's trade deadline, such as former Cardinals homegrown hurler Sandy Alcantara.

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