MLB Rumors: Grading Goldschmidt trade, Giants sellers turned buyers, MLB Draft buzz
By Kristen Wong
MLB Rumors: Cardinals-Angels ‘outrageous’ trade involves moving Paul Goldschmidt
‘Tis the season for proposing outrageous MLB trades, and one thought experiment by Bleacher Report has the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels doing business with each other.
In the trade, the Angels receive Paul Goldschmidt and the Cardinals receive Logan O’Hoppe and Victor Mederos.
Many people stopped reading at “Paul Goldschmidt” since it feels highly unlikely St. Louis is actually going to deal him in 2023. Yet the Cardinals’ terrible 2023 season and Goldschmidt’s high desirability may suggest, in theory, that St. Louis may want to rebuild and see what the team can get in return for the reigning NL MVP.
In indulging such a trade with the Angels, would the Cardinals benefit long-term though?
Dealing their star slugger for the fair but not particularly useful returns of O’Hoppe and Mederos just doesn’t feel like a savvy business move. O’Hoppe, the Angels’ top-ranked prospect, looks like he has the potential to develop into a franchise catcher, but the Cards just signed Willson Contreras and aren’t trying to give him the boot yet.
Mederos would supply the Cards with a solid arm albeit not a headlining one. He has a 5.98 ERA in Double-A this season and wouldn’t make an immediate impact in a down-bad Cards team. St. Louis needs reliable pitching help, and Mederos’ 5.98 ERA just doesn’t cut it.
Zach Rotman of FanSided’s Halo Hangout gave this trade a C, and from the Cards’ perspective, it doesn’t feel like a wise investment, either.
This outrageous trade gets a D from us.