Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the St. Louis Cardinals have acquired Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly, Andy Young, and a round B compensation pick. Jon Heyman of Fancred reported the two sides were close to an agreement first.
Goldschmidt, 31, has been one of the league’s most feared hitters for 2012 and hit .290/.389/.533 with 33 home runs and 83 RBI to give himself a 5.4 fWAR on the season. The first baseman has also won three Gold Gloves, four Silver Slugger Awards, and been finished on the MVP ballot five times (second place twice, third place, sixth place, and 11th place).
Weaver, 25, appeared in 30 games (25 starts, 136 1/3 innings) for the Cardinals last season in which he went 7-11 with a 4.95 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 4.45 FIP, and 121 strikeouts. He will be under the D-Backs control through the 2023 season and will not be arbitration eligible until 2021 season.
Kelly, 24, was once a highly heralded catching prospect who was expected to be the heir to Yadier Molina in St. Louis. However, he has struggled at the MLB level to date, hitting .114/.205/.114 with no home runs and three RBI in 19 games this season. In Triple-A he was much better, though, slashing .269/.378/.395 with seven home runs and 41 RBI. The catcher also isn’t eligible for arbitration until 2021 and is controlled through the 2024 season.
Young, 24 also, split last season between Single-A Palm Beach and Double-A Springfield in 2018. In 503 plate appearances, the infielder hit .289/.379/.479 with 21 home runs and 58 RBI.
