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| from NBC |
The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired 1B Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Luke Weaver, C Carson Kelly, INF Andrew Young and a draft pick after competitive balance round B.
For the Cardinals, this is a major trade. 2018 MVP candidate Matt Carpenter will move to third base, while Goldschmidt, a six time all-star will play first. Goldschmidt has hit 30 home runs four times, and while he has never won an MVP, he was the runner-up in 2013 and 2015. They give up Kelly, a big catching prospect not needed with Yadi Molina catching, and Weaver didn\’t have a spot in their rotation.
Goldschmidt, 31, had a .290 batting average, 33 home runs, 83 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 690 Plate Appearances for the D-backs in 2018. The best season of his career came in 2013, when he had a batting average of .302, with 36 homers, 125 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. In his MLB career, all in the desert, Goldschmidt has a .297 batting average, 209 home runs, 710 RBIs and 124 stolen bases in 4708 Plate Appearances.
For the D-backs, they are officially rebuilding, and they are starting with their biggest and best piece, Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt is a free agent at the end of the year, and I think they got a decent haul for him. Weaver has potential to be a top-3 starter, and Kelly looks like he could be their starting catcher for years to come. They get an extra prospect in Young, and a draft pick.
Weaver, 25, had a 4.95 ERA, 4.45 FIP and 121 strikeouts in 136.1 innings in 2018. The best year of his career came in 2017, when he posted a 3.88 ERA, with a 3.17 FIP and 72 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. In his MLB career, all for the Cardinals, Weaver has a 4.79 ERA, with a FIP of 4.10, with 238 strikeouts in 233 innings.
Kelly, 24, had a .114 batting average and three RBIs in 42 Plate Appearances in 2018. In his MLB career, all for the Cardinals, Kelly has a batting average of .154, with 10 RBIs in 131 Plate Appearances.
Young, 24, had a .289 batting average, 21 home runs and 58 RBIs in 503 Plate Appearances for High-A Palm Beach and AA Springfield in 2018.
I think this is an even trade. The Cardinals get a superstar while the D-backs get a good return to kick off their rebuild.
CarterHud 