The St. Louis Cardinals failed to win a 12th World Series title during seven-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt’s six-season tenure with the franchise.
After enduring the worst season of his career at the plate in 2024 and hitting the free-agent market for the first time in his career this winter, Goldschmidt is now a member of the 27-time World Series champion New York Yankees.
Could Goldschmidt be following in the footsteps of another former Cardinals legend, whose career panned out similarly to that of the Yankees’ starting first baseman for 2025?
“The slugger endured his poorest season as a Cardinal in his age-36 campaign just as a long-term contract concluded,” New York Post’s Joel Sherman wrote Tuesday. “He had batted .246 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs. The Yankees nevertheless signed the slugger to the largest one-year free-agent contract for a position player in their history. That was after the 2016 season. That was Matt Holliday for $13 million.”
Goldschmidt batted .245 with 56 extra-base hits including 22 home runs, 65 RBIs and a .716 OPS throughout 154 games played for the Cardinals in 2024.
“The Yankees nevertheless signed him to a $12.5 million contract — the second-largest ever (behind Holliday) for one year to a free agent brought in from outside the organization,” Sherman continued. “At seven years, $120 million, Holliday in January of 2010 signed for the most money at the time in Cardinals history. It was eventually usurped in March 2019 by Goldschmidt’s five-year, $130 million pact. Both were told even before the final season on those deals concluded that St. Louis would not have them back.”
Holiday and Goldschmidt’s paths to landing with the Yankees are oddly similar. It’s worth noting that the 2011 World Series champion (Holiday) didn’t turn things around after signing with New York.
Will Goldschmidt find a way to revive his career in the Bronx this upcoming season or will his fate be similar to Holiday’s, who retired one year after signing with the Yankees?
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