Seven-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt will part ways with the St. Louis Cardinals after this season, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. The 2022 National League MVP arrived in St. Louis via trade in December 2018 when the Arizona Diamondbacks traded him away for Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly, Andy Young and a 2019 first-round pick. The 37-year-old saw his batting totals dwindle over the last two seasons. In 2024, his 22 home runs and 64 RBI are his lowest total since 2014, in a season where he played at least 109 games. His .245 average, .412 slugging percentage and .713 OPS are the lowest totals of his years in St. Louis.

There are already rumors that the Cardinals are interested in pursuing New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso to take over for Goldy. Alonso, like Goldschmidt, is set to hit free agency this offseason.

Another possible team that is rumored to be interested in Goldschmidt is the Milwaukee Brewers. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the five-time Silver Slugger is on the Brew Crew's radar once the season is over.

“The Milwaukee Brewers are keeping a close eye on St. Louis Cardinals veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt if the Cardinals opt not to bring him back. They still believe there’s plenty left in the tank.”

Milwaukee is a full game back from the Philadelphia Phillies from the NL's second seed and a potential first-round bye in the MLB postseason.

Cardinals' future after Paul Goldschmidt in flux

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Paul Goldschmidt (46) takes a lead from third base against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park.
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Two down years and a downturn in his fielding stats are concerning. However, Goldschmidt wasn't well protected in the Cardinals' batting order. At first, Rhys Hoskins, the Brewers' starter, is a batting average liability.

Goldy is aware of his poor performance and seems to have taken it to heart.

“This is probably the worst I’ve performed on the field in my career,” Goldschmidt said. “That was disappointing, a good bit of that burden was on me. If I could’ve played how I believe I’m capable of playing, we could’ve won more games and maybe this might have turned out differently.”

Even with that said, the Cardinals are apparently interested in shifting to a “player development model,” according to Woo. That means many pending free agents will not be back, and the team will invest in upgrades to its minor-league system. The Cardinals could also find creative ways to get out from under Nolan Arenado's monster eight-year, $260 million contract and big contracts with Sonny Gray and Wilson Contreras.

These anticipated changes are to be announced during a press conference by the team on Monday.