3 doomsday Paul Goldschmidt destinations to make the Cardinals and John Mozeliak pay

For the first time in a long time, it's looking like the St. Louis Cardinals are going to enter a rebuild, or, at the very least, a retool. John Mozeliak even went as far as to say that expectations are lower, which says all you have to know about their intentions for 2025.

Given the reality that they're going to have lesser expectations, that means letting younger players get more playing time. That simple reality makes it almost a certainty that longtime stalwart Paul Goldschmidt is going to be searching for a new home this coming offseason.

It makes sense for St. Louis to move on given the fact that Goldschmidt is 37 years old and is coming off of his worst season (career-low .716 OPS), but Goldschmidt departing doesn't mean Cardinals fans are going to see the last of him. Goldschmidt has an opportunity to really stick it to the Cardinals by signing with any of these three teams.

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3) Paul Goldschmidt can add to his already stacked Diamondbacks resume

Will Paul Goldschmidt wear a Cardinals cap into Cooperstown if he makes it into the Hall of Fame? He played with the Arizona Diamondbacks for longer and had more consistent success in the desert, but his lone MVP win came in a Cardinals uniform. His only NLCS appearance came in a Cardinals uniform. An argument could easily be made that Goldschmidt would represent the Cardinals if he were to make it into Cooperstown.

That could change, though, if Goldschmidt makes a return to Arizona to join a Diamondbacks team ready to win. He'd have big shoes to fill by replacing Christian Walker - a current star - but Goldschmidt can absolutely help the Diamondbacks win if he were to go there.

If Goldschmidt has a decent ninth season in Arizona, helps them embark on a fun postseason run, and retires soon after, it might become a slam dunk that he'll choose to be remembered more as a Diamondback, which would be a tough pill to swallow for Mozeliak and the Cardinals.

2) The Pirates make perfect sense as a potential Paul Goldschmidt landing spot

The Cardinals might not want Goldschmidt to end up in Arizona, but at least he'd be out of the NL Central with limited attempts of doing damage against his former club. The Pittsburgh Pirates would offer Goldschmidt a sweet opportunity of staying in the division with as many attempts at going at the Cardinals as he'd like, though.

The Pirates are a team in dire need of offense. Their pitching is set up for years to come with Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, and Mitch Keller leading a very formidable rotation, but their lineup leaves a lot to be desired. Goldschmidt, even after his down year, would provide a major boost particularly at first base and against left-handed pitching.

Pirates first basemen ranked 26th in the majors with an 86 WRC+ this past season according to FanGraphs. Even in his down year, Goldschmidt had a 100 WRC+. He shouldn't be hitting in the middle of any lineup, but again, he'd be a major upgrade over the likes of Connor Joe and Rowdy Tellez.

Goldschmidt had a down year overall, but he proved he can still hit against left-handed pitching, slashing .295/.366/.473 in 167 plate appearances against southpaws. He had a 134 WRC+ against left-handed pitching. For comparison, the Pirates as a team ranked 21st in the majors with a 93 WRC+ against left-handed pitching. Even if Goldschmidt isn't as elite against southpaws as he was in 2024, he'd be an upgrade in an area where the Pirates need one, and would presumably come relatively cheap. He'd be a great fit in Pittsburgh.

1) Paul Goldschmidt can continue to own American Family Field, this time in a Brewers uniform

Goldschmidt raked in most ballparks as a member of the Cardinals, but he has done more damage at American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, more than pretty much any other stadium.

Goldschmidt has slashed .307/.380/.617 in 67 games played in Milwaukee. The 20 home runs he's hit there is tied for the third-most he's hit at any ballpark, trailing only Chase Field (home of the Diamondbacks) and Busch Stadium (home of the Cardinals). He has hit more home runs in Milwaukee than in five other stadiums in which he's played in more games than he has at the home of the Brewers.

Knowing this, Goldschmidt can make the choice to rake at American Family Field 81 times (or close to it) next season. Admittedly, this probably won't happen now given the fact that Rhys Hoskins accepted his player option to return to Milwaukee, but the Brewers did use Hoskins at DH plenty of times last season. The Brewers do not have the DH spot filled right now.

Goldschmidt can join a Brewers team that is capable of doing serious damage in 2025 and also put up some great numbers. The fact that he'd get to stay in the NL Central and face off against the Cardinals 13 times would be the cherry on top.