The 2019-20 Major League Baseball free agency class won’t be as star-studded as we once imagined.
Paul Goldschmidt is closing in on a five-year contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals, according to multiple reports.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the news Thursday. A source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold that Goldschmidt’s deal will be worth around $130 million, making the veteran first baseman the highest-paid player (by annual salary and total contract) in Cardinals history.
According to Goold, the extension will start after 2019, when Goldschmidt is slated to earn $14.5 million, and extend through 2024. It reportedly could be finalized by Saturday.
Goldschmidt’s contract reportedly will surpass Matt Holliday’s seven-year, $120 million deal with the Cardinals in terms of total value. The 31-year-old reportedly will make more than Yadier Molina’s $20 million salary.
A six-time All-Star, Goldschmidt is entering his first season with the Cardinals after being traded to St. Louis by the Arizona Diamondbacks in December. He was set to be one of the biggest names available next winter on the open market, which now looks less enticing in light of Goldschmidt’s expected deal and Nolan Arenado’s recent eight-year, $260 million extension with the Colorado Rockies.
Goldschmidt owns four Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. He hit .290 with 33 home runs, 83 RBIs and a .922 OPS in 2018, and has finished in the top six in National League MVP voting in four of the last six seasons.
