Cardinals urged to let former MVP walk after disappointing 2024 season

The St. Louis Cardinals are about to enter a rebuild. They finished 2024 with an 83-79 record and missed the postseason for the second consecutive year.

Now, things are about to change in St. Louis. Several players could ultimately be on the way out, especially those with big contracts.

The Cardinals are fortunate to have young players to build around, but certain veterans may not be back next year.

SportsGrid made a list of important steps the Cardinals need to take during their rebuild and listed letting Paul Goldschmidt walk as one of them.

"Paul Goldschmidt's performance has declined since his 2022 MVP season, and with free agency looming, it's time for the Cardinals to move on. Goldschmidt slashed .245/.302/.414 with a wRC+ of 100 in 2024, marking career lows."

If the Cardinals choose to let Goldschmidt walk, they have options at first base. Perhaps they could move Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, or Jordan Walker to the position or even give Luken Baker a look.

But it's clear that Goldschmidt's best days are behind him. He is no longer the MVP caliber player he was two years ago.

St. Louis is unlikely to bring him back anyway, but it is time for them to focus on their youth and build around their young players rather than try to re-sign Goldschmidt.

Their young core should help them get through their rebuild and could even surprise people in 2025.

Goldschmidt was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 and he helped guide St. Louis to the postseason from 2019-22. However, he began to decline in 2023 and couldn't replicate his earlier success.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Goldschmidt this offseason.

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