Cardinals have some obvious competition if they hope to keep Paul Goldschmidt around

The St. Louis Cardinals have started to slide a little bit. After holding the second Wild Card spot in the National League as recently as a few weeks ago, they now are two games out of the third and final spot with a record of 59-56. They may have some holes to fill in the offseason.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are interested in keeping first baseman Paul Goldschmidt around beyond the 2024 season. His contract expires at the end of the year.

However, it may not be easy for St. Louis to keep him, as there will likely be several teams interested in the veteran slugger's services.

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Cardinals may have competition to keep Paul Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt hasn't had a great season with St. Louis. The 36-year-old is hitting just .228 with 17 home runs, 43 RBI, and an OPS of .672 in what could be his final year as a Cardinal.

The Cardinals might ultimately be better off letting him go in free agency and signing somebody else. But there are a few teams that could come calling for Goldschmidt's services.

Goldschmidt's former team, the Arizona Diamondbacks may have a spot open for him if Christian Walker leaves in free agency. The Houston Astros may also want to upgrade at first base and could potentially seek out the former MVP.

The veteran first baseman was traded to St. Louis in 2018 from the Diamondbacks and he helped guide St. Louis to the postseason from 2019-22. He even won the National League MVP Award in 2022.

But it will be interesting to see what happens with him over the next few weeks. The Cardinals have internal options to replace him if he ultimately leaves. They could give Alec Burleson or Jordan Walker the reins at first base, or potentially give Luken Baker a shot to prove himself at the Major League level.

Keeping Gioldschmidt would allow the Cardinals to retain his veteran presence in the clubhouse, even if they eventually hand the reins over to somebody like Burleson. But it is possible that if they do let Goldy reach free agency, other teams will be interested in potentially taking a chance on the 36-year-old.