Goldschmidt 2025

[Fan_In_NY]

He's going to have a very limited market and unless he takes a very very team friendly deal early in the offseason (like 1 year, 2-3M) he's going to hang around for a long time in free agency. Cards will end up with some sort of Burly/Contreras/Gorman triumphant at 1B keeping costs low and opening up other positions. What we do know is that the Cardinals won't come out of the off-season with an excess of talented players - they will be counting on everyone being healthy and producing at minimum their average season. It will be a very quiet offseason with Fedde basically being their free agent signing and just some decisions on what options to pick up as they have cleared out some arbitration money.

[sighyoung]

Let him walk. If they re-sign him someone will be blocked because the team will feel obligated to play him. If he was some big clubhouse leader the team wouldn't have felt like they needed Carp and Crawford.

I'm sure there will be a Bud Norris-type available who can haze rookies for pennies on the dollar.

[CardsofSTL]

I am in the team friendly deal camp. If he expects top dollars you have to let him walk. Then we will all complain when he cranks 35 homers for the Padres.

[TGantz]

Keep him as a full time player on a friendly deal. The problem is not that Goldschmidt is declining as he ages. That has happened to every player ever. He's still a solid defensive 1B, can carry the team on a hot streak, and will sell some tickets. The problem is relying on him as a cornerstone player and ignoring major upgrades needed elsewhere.

I love me some Luken Baker, but I would be terrified of Oli controlling a revolving door at 1B of Burly, Gorman, Baker, Walker, and Donovan.

If he does walk, what about sliding Contreras to 1B and signing a better defensive/game calling catcher? Two birds, one stone? He'd be a weak hitter compared to most first basemen, but might hit better with catching less games.

One thing to keep in mind is that any replacement who is currently on the roster will be a major downgrade defensively. Nado and Winn have cannons that require a 1B that can pick it.

[CardsofSTL]

Keep him as a full time player on a friendly deal. The problem is not that Goldschmidt is declining as he ages. That has happened to every player ever. He's still a solid defensive 1B, can carry the team on a hot streak, and will sell some tickets. The problem is relying on him as a cornerstone player and ignoring major upgrades needed elsewhere.

I love me some Luken Baker, but I would be terrified of Oli controlling a revolving door at 1B of Burly, Gorman, Baker, Walker, and Donovan.

If he does walk, what about sliding Contreras to 1B and signing a better defensive/game calling catcher? Two birds, one stone? He'd be a weak hitter compared to most first basemen, but might hit better with catching less games.

One thing to keep in mind is that any replacement who is currently on the roster will be a major downgrade defensively. Nado and Winn have cannons that require a 1B that can pick it.

I think Baker needs to be mostly your DH. Even in small samples his 1B defense is sus.

I think if you have a team friendly deal you give the starting job to Goldy but if he does not produce he gets relegated to bench role. We...shouldn't...have a Carpenter/Crawford situation clogging the bench next season so I think you have the flexibility to do something like that.

[CardsofSTL]

[ghostrunner]

I’m skeptical about the friendliness of a “team friendly deal” and also the odds that he does go to the bench if he doesn’t produce. If we need to do that, we need a manager who will do it, and I’m not sure who that is. Oli won’t.Skip Schumacher probably doesn’t.

I think I’d like to try a year of mostly kids and see where things are mid season or end of season. Not a full rebuild, just give all these guys playing time to see what’s what. McGreevy, Pallante, Saggese, Scott, Siani, Walker, Burleson, Baker, Gorman, etc.. Also trade some of those guys to clear room. But then if they do that, they need a new POBO in place as well because I don’t want Mo making those calls if he’s gone the year after.

[AdmiralKird]

What exactly does a team friendly deal mean?

He's going to have a very limited market and unless he takes a very very team friendly deal early in the offseason (like 1 year, 2-3M) he's going to hang around for a long time in free agency.

Presumably he'll want at least market value for what he thinks he'll put up next year. He probably thinks his 2025 will be better than 2024 and closer to 2023, maybe akin to his 2019, which would mean he'll ask around 15M for a one year deal, 25M 2yr, 32M for 3.

I don't think the Cardinals offer 2/25 or 3/32. If they want to make a deal I think they'll offer market value at around 1/11, 2/18.5. If they're ready to pass unless he signs a team friendly that's what, 1/8, or 2/14?

[Spider John]

BenFred has a free weekly report. Someone asked about bringing Goldy back. HIs view:

BF: The numbers since August have been encouraging. In more than 100 at-bats since then, Goldy is averaging .302 and slugging .547. He's come up with some homers (five) and key clutch hits. Still, the undeniable downward trend since the final month of his MVP season in 2022 is hard to ignore. It all depends on how much of a pay cut Goldschmidt would be willing to take, and how the Cardinals decide to handle their offseason. A pivot toward youth should not include a Goldschmidt reunion. Not when Alec Burleson, Luken Baker, Brendan Donovan and maybe even Jordan Walker could play first base. I'd move on if it was my call, but we know how the Cardinals view Goldschmidt; they're not shy about saying they would love to see Goldschmidt finish his career in their uniform. A reunion would not surprise me. It would require putting emotions over evidence. The Cardinals do that for players they love.

[Radbird]

Keep him as a full time player on a friendly deal. The problem is not that Goldschmidt is declining as he ages. That has happened to every player ever. He's still a solid defensive 1B, can carry the team on a hot streak, and will sell some tickets. The problem is relying on him as a cornerstone player and ignoring major upgrades needed elsewhere.

I love me some Luken Baker, but I would be terrified of Oli controlling a revolving door at 1B of Burly, Gorman, Baker, Walker, and Donovan.

If he does walk, what about sliding Contreras to 1B and signing a better defensive/game calling catcher? Two birds, one stone? He'd be a weak hitter compared to most first basemen, but might hit better with catching less games.

One thing to keep in mind is that any replacement who is currently on the roster will be a major downgrade defensively. Nado and Winn have cannons that require a 1B that can pick it.

I agree with Gantz. We need his D at 1B. And what he’s showing us right now is that he is still capable of putting up decent offensive numbers and it’s reasonable to expect a bounce back year in ‘25.

If he wants more than a “team friendly” deal warrants, then move on and consider Burly at 1st possibly platooning with Baker or Contreras and put the savings into other significant needs rather than BDW’s wallet. Unfortunately the wallet always wins which is why we need a new POBO like Bloom who knows how to optimize returns in a budget-constrained environment.