Pretty much nothing seems to bother Paul Goldschmidt. By his own account, the St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman likes to keep things simple.
Thus, with free agency looming for the six-time All-Star in the 2019-20 offseason, Goldschmidt really wasn’t thinking about it when he reported to spring training with his new team in February. The Cardinals acquired Goldschmidt in December in a trade for right-hander Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly and infield prospect Andy Young.
It didn’t matter to Goldschmidt that the free-agent market had been slow to develop each of the last two winters. That also did not factor into Goldschmidt’s mind early in spring training when Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak approached him about the idea of signing a long-term extension with his new team.
The biggest factor for Goldschmidt in agreeing to a five-year, $130-million contract just before the start of the season was that the Cardinals have tradition, are almost always competitive and have a very large fanbase.
“I know how great this organization is,” he said recently when the Cardinals visited the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. “I was excited to be part of it when they traded for me and I was excited that the Cardinals thought that highly of me that they wanted to keep me here. I’m glad it worked out.
“The transition has been smooth, smoother than I expected. It’s a testament to the guys in (the clubhouse) that they welcomed me very quickly along with the whole staff. Once you get between the lines, it’s just baseball. I said that in spring training. That never changes regardless of what team you are playing for.”
The Cardinals are off to a rocky start in their hopes of ending a three-year postseason drought. They have gone 5-14 since winning 20 of their first 30 games and having the best record in the major leagues May 1.
Goldschmidt has not put up the kind of numbers that he did with the Diamondbacks when he won four National League Silver Sluggers and three NL Gold Gloves. However, the Cardinals couldn’t be happier to have him in the middle of the lineup and in their clubhouse.
“He’s better than advertised and that’s a pretty big advertisement you’re talking about,” manager Mike Shildt said. “And I’m not talking about him just as a player. We all know what he can do on the field but It’s just the intangibles he brings, like attention to detail.
“It’s not a sexy word but he’s steady, very steady. He’s diligent about how his work looks like. And he’s just a straight-up good dude.”
Goldschmidt hit at least 33 home runs in four seasons with the Diamondbacks, drove in at least 110 runs in three seasons and had an OPS no lower than .899 each of the past six years. Arizona fans dubbed him “America’s First Baseman.”
For the Cardinals, he has hit .243/.349/.432 with 10 homers and 24 RBIs in 49 games along with an OPS.
Considering Goldschmidt is 32, there is reason to believe he could be entering the decline phase of his career. The Cardinals are banking that he isn’t as they signed him through his age-37 season.
“The unknown in baseball is always when someone hits a cliff,” Mozeliak said. “You just don't know. We felt this was a unique opportunity for us and we just couldn't let it go by.”
