ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals have made their first major move of the offseason, acquiring first basemen Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade.
The Diamondbacks and Cardinals announced the deal on Twitter saying the Cardinals send Carson Kelly, Luke Weaver an infield prospect and a draft pick for the all-star first basemen who will be a free agent after this year.
Goldschmidt has been an all-star each of the last 6 years, and has finished in the top-five in MVP voting three times. His career on-base percentage is .398 and he hit 33 home runs last year. He also has three Gold Glove awards and four Silver Sluggers.
Going back to Arizona will be a couple of prospects who got a chance with the big-league team in previous years and one still in the minors. Carson Kelly, 23, is widely considered a top catching prospect in the sport but hit just .154 in 131 plate appearances over three years.
Luke Weaver got a shot in the rotation last year, but put had an ERA of nearly 5. He was moved to the bullpen in the middle of the season and had five relief appearances.
The Cardinals will also send minor league infielder Andy Young and their competitive balance pick in round B in the 2019 draft. Young is a 24-year-old infielder who played for the Cardinals high-A team in Palm Beach and double-A team in Springfield in 2018. He also represented the Cardinals in the Arizona Fall league. He did not make MLB.com's ranking of the Cardinals top 30 prospects.
