Should the St. Louis Cardinals deal first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, a great potential fit for the reigning NL MVP would have to be the Philadelphia Phillies, per the latest MLB Rumors.
If the St. Louis Cardinals are selling off intriguing assets such as Paul Goldschmidt, then the Philadelphia Phillies would have to be buyers.
We are in the midst of the worst season of Cardinals baseball I can honestly remember. They absolutely stink! With the hotter-than-the-sun Cincinnati Reds leading the NL Central, we have about a month or so before the Redbirds must accept their fate and pack it in. If they wanted to blow it up, they could get quite the haul from a desperate team like the Phillies for Goldschmidt.
While the likelihood of Goldschmidt being dealt does not seem all that high, Jim Bowden of The Athletic and FanSided's Robert Murray believe the Phillies could be the one to team strike a deal. This move would be all about offsetting the season-ending loss to Rhys Hoskins at first. Not only would this trade add some juice to the lineup, but it would counterbalance major defensive issues.
Philadelphia is the reigning NL champion, but even adding the reigning NL MVP feels like a stretch.
MLB rumors: St. Louis Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt tied to Philadelphia Phillies
Well on his way towards a hall-of-fame career, Goldschmidt will turn 36-years-old on Sept. 10. Although he is not playing on an expiring contract, a team potentially trading for Goldschmidt would only have control of him through next season before he hits free agency in 2025. Since the Phillies only have a short-term issue at first base, it may not be worth it to trade for Goldschmidt.
In theory, I do really like this because the Phillies would be adding one of the best first basemen of his generation still very much in his prime. Philadelphia would be adding pop, power and precision to the batting order, as well as not having one defensive liability after another manning first base. You cannot win games when you give teams that are better than you runs they did not deserve.
Overall, if this is something Dave Dombrowski thinks is worth exploring, then I would not blame him. Last year's Phillies team showed us that it is all about getting into the dance. They were the No. 6 seed in the NL and won the league pennant. The Phillies may not catch the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, but they do have the lineup and pitching staff to go toe-to-toe with almost anyone.
Trading for Goldschmidt would be a great, short-term fit, but this feels like merely a pipe dream.