Could the St. Louis Cardinals really consider trading Paul Goldschmidt? After two losses to the Pirates, the Cards are staring down the barrel.
Paul Goldschmidt has a year left on his current contract. While it's unlikely that St. Louis trades the former NL MVP given they still do believe in this core — specifically Goldy and Nolan Arenado — selling is suddenly a realistic possibility.
Just as it looked like the Cards were back on the right track after a miserable start to the season, they've regressed significantly. Down seasons from some of their star players, Arenado included, has doomed this group to baseball irrelevancy barring a magical turnaround.
As ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in his recent column, front office executives around the league are wondering what it would take for St. Louis to sell.
"The front-office officials are split on whether Jack Flaherty will be traded before the deadline; they don't expect Jordan Montgomery, who could get a qualifying offer, to go unless St. Louis simply bottoms out," Passan said.
MLB Rumors: Could Cardinals trade Paul Goldschmidt?
Perhaps the most intriguing note from Passan's Cardinals report was the thought they could trade a player like Goldschmidt.
"…Might the Cardinals consider moving reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt? With one year left on his contract, Goldschmidt would be a tremendous fit in the middle of any lineup — though with a full no-trade clause, he would need to be on board with any deal for it to happen."
While such a trade seems unlikely considering Goldschmidt is such an important member of their core and an emblem of the Cardinal Way, all options should be on the table for John Mozeliak should an interested team come calling.
However, as Passan points out, Goldschmidt's no-trade clause stands in the way. And is it really worth potentially upsetting a star player and the fanbase by throwing his name around in trade conversations?
