Jordan Hamm
It’s the end of an era.
Paul Goldschmidt, deemed “America’s First Baseman,” has been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. In return, the Diamondbacks received Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly, Andrew Young and a draft pick, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
“This was an extremely difficult decision given how much Paul has meant to our team both on and off the field,” Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said. “He represents everything it means to be a D-back, and we are very thankful to him for all that he has done for our franchise and our fans. We wish him, Amy and their family nothing but the best in the years ahead.”
Goldschmidt spent eight seasons with the club and accumulated a career .297 batting average with 209 home runs, 710 RBIs and 124 stolen bases in 1,092 games played. He has been named to six straight All-Star Games and won a Gold Glove three times. He was second in MVP voting in 2013 and 2015 and was voted third in 2017.
Goldschmidt is second in franchise history in games played, hits, at-bats, runs scored, doubles, home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases. Aside from stolen bases, where Goldschmidt trailed only Tony Womack, the first baseman was second only to Luis Gonzalez in those categories. He is also first in franchise history in walks.
With top players Patrick Corbin, who signed with the Nationals on Tuesday for six years and $140 million, and outfielder A.J. Pollock entering free agency and Goldschmidt having one year remaining on a very team-friendly contract, the timing pointed to a rebuild for the club and a potential trade for the first baseman.
Goldschmidt was an eigth round selection of the Diamondbacks in the 2009 MLB Draft in a D-backs class that also featured Pollock, utility man Chris Owings and pitcher Chase Anderson.
Now for the what the Diamondbacks are receiving.
Pitcher Luke Weaver saw extended big league action for the Cardinals last year and went 7-11 with a 4.95 ERA in 25 starts. He notched 136.1 innings with 121 strikeouts. Weaver was at one time the Cardinals’ #2 prospect in 2017.
Andy Young is a second baseman who made it up to Double-A last year. In 2018, he hit .289 with 21 home runs, 58 RBI in 119 games.s
Catcher Carson Kelly spent the bulk of 2018 in Triple-A Memphis, hitting .269 with 7 home runs and 41 RBI. He did see 19 games at the big league level. Kelly was ranked by Baseball America in 2018 as the second-best defensive catcher in the Minor Leagues.
