St. Louis Cardinals All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and third baseman Nolan Arenado’s market has taken shape after Christian Walker signed a three-year deal with the Houston Astros. The signing has reduced the number of teams searching for first basemen like Goldschmidt, who is available as a free agent.
Walker, a former Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman, will join the Astros at $60 million per year. He had been viewed as a potential fit for both Goldschmidt and Arenado, but Walker’s signing removes him from consideration.
Arenado, meanwhile, used his no-trade clause to decline a trade offer from the Astros, indicating he is willing to wait for the right opportunity. The Cardinals are seeking to move Arenado as part of a salary restructuring, with their goal being to find a team that can contend for a championship in the near future.
Goldschmidt and Arenado have expressed frustration about their team’s inconsistency over the past two seasons, with both players struggling at the plate. Their departure would mark an end to a successful era for the Cardinals, which has not won a playoff series since 2018.
The signing of Walker by the Astros sets up a new landscape for Goldschmidt and Arenado, who will have to wait and see which teams are willing to make significant investments in free agency. The market is shifting, and it remains to be seen where two of baseball’s top players will ultimately land.
Source: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mlb/cardinals/how-markets-for-nolan-arenado-paul-goldschmidt-shift-as-houston-astros-make-move-at-first/article_c4b9cd5e-bf09-11ef-a7f0-8bbbdfb15dd0.html