Cardinals slugger nearing end of career: Will former MVP retire?

The St. Louis Cardinals have been back and forth in 2024. After a 15-24 start, they fought their way back into contention but have stumbled in recent weeks.

They may have some questions to answer this offseason, particularly with a former National League MVP.

Slugger Paul Goldschmidt in the final year of his contract with St. Louis and is having somewhat of a down year. The 36-year-old is hitting just .232 with a .687 OPS.

Jim Bowden of the Athletic believes the end may be near for Goldschmidt.

"Although he's just two years removed from winning the NL MVP Award, the seven-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner and five-time Silver Slugger is nearing the end of a fabulous career," Bowden wrote. "It will be interesting to see if he decides to retire or keep playing."

If Goldschmidt decides to keep playing, it will be interesting to see if he stays with the Cardinals or ultimately goes elsewhere. The Cardinals could keep him, but it might make sense to let him go.

In the event that he retires or departs, St. Louis has a few promising bats in their system such as Ivan Herrera, Luken Baker, Thomas Saggese, and former top prospect Jordan Walker. They could also pursue somebody like J.D. Martinez or Justin Turner in free agency.

But the end may in fact be near for Goldschmidt, who has put together an impressive career resume and has been one of Major League Baseball's top hitters since his debut in 2011.

We'll see if he decides to keep playing or ultimately chooses to retire.

More MLB: Could Cardinals bring back former slugger on short-term deal?