The Cardinals don’t plan on bringing veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt again in 2025, in keeping with a report from The Athletic’s Katie Woo. Goldschmidt is scheduled to hit free company this offseason, and whereas the membership had beforehand been rumored to have curiosity in bringing him again for 2025, it now seems the membership will half methods with the long run Corridor of Famer. For his half, Goldschmidt has made clear that he plans to proceed his profession into 2025.
Goldschmidt isn’t the one participant anticipated to depart this offseason. In response to Woo, it’s unlikely that any of the membership’s pending free brokers will return to the membership subsequent 12 months because the membership pivots in direction of a deal with bolstering its participant growth equipment. Woo particularly famous that relievers Andrew Kitteredge and Keynan Middleton are anticipated to land elsewhere this winter, although she emphasised it was not but clear whether or not veteran starters Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson are included within the anticipated exodus. St. Louis holds similar $12MM membership choices on the duo’s companies for subsequent 12 months, every with a $1MM buyout.
Woo additionally notes {that a} discount to the main league payroll could possibly be on the horizon because the membership reinvests in participant growth, echoing a report from USA Right now’s Bob Nightengale early right now that indicated the Cardinals might store veteran right-hander Sonny Grey as they appear to chop payroll. Woo didn’t explicitly counsel that Grey might be shopped, however did checklist the right-hander amongst a handful of veteran Cardinals gamers whose futures with the membership could possibly be put “into query” by a drop in payroll this winter alongside third baseman Nolan Arenado, catcher Willson Contreras, and nearer Ryan Helsley. MLBTR mentioned Grey’s potential commerce candidacy earlier right now along with Nightengale’s report, which famous the Reds as a possible suitor for the veteran’s companies.
If the Cardinals are going to have a look at buying Grey this winter amid an effort to scale back payroll, it’s solely pure that the membership might entertain affords on various different high-priced veterans as effectively. Contreras, specifically, could possibly be a smart candidate for the membership to maneuver this winter. The 32-year-old backstop has been nothing wanting phenomenal with the bat since he joined the Cardinals previous to the 2023 marketing campaign, slashing a powerful .263/.367/.468 (133 wRC+) in 209 video games with St. Louis as he’s sustained the offense breakout he loved throughout his ultimate season with the Cubs in 2022.
With that being stated, not all the pieces has gone effectively for Contreras since he joined the membership. The veteran was briefly moved off of catcher after simply six weeks within the group, solely to be reinstated because the Cubs common catcher shortly thereafter. Per Statcast’s Fielding Run Worth, Contreras was value -3 runs behind the plate final 12 months that was his worst determine since 2019. These defensive struggles behind the plate led the membership’s coaches to counsel Contreras transfer nearer to the plate whereas catching. The technique appears to have labored to enhance his protection on the place as his FRV improved to +0 this 12 months, but it surely got here at a considerable price because the veteran suffered an arm fracture that required surgical procedure earlier this 12 months after being struck by a backswing from Mets DH J.D. Martinez.
Given the Cardinals’ considerations relating to Contreras’s protection, the $54.5MM as a consequence of him over the subsequent three seasons, and the presence of up-and-coming children Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages able to tackle bigger roles within the majors, it might hardly be a shock if the Cardinals determined to hearken to affords on the veteran catcher this offseason. Given his success on the plate over the previous three years, it appears cheap to anticipate that groups would have curiosity within the veteran’s companies even when they joined in St. Louis’s suspicions relating to his protection behind the plate, as he might transfer to a primary base or DH position pretty seamlessly if an buying membership wished to make such a swap. In fact, it’s additionally attainable that there’s a membership that both believes they will enhance Contreras’s protection or is prepared to sacrifice defensive worth behind the plate so as to match a middle-of-the-order bat into its lineup and can be glad to make use of Contreras as a catcher as effectively.
Extra to come back…