Cards Land Goldschmidt, WS Odds Rise
On Wednesday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals added to the middle of their batting order with the acquisition of Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. No surprise, the Cardinals’ World Series odds for 2019 have improved significantly.
According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Cardinals are now 14/1 to win the 2019 World Series and are 8/1 to win the National League pennant. St. Louis opened with 18/1 odds to win the World Series and 9/1 to win the pennant so the acquisition of Goldschmidt increased the Cards’ odds to win a championship dramatically.
In order to get the deal done, the Cardinals sent right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver, catching prospect Carson Kelly, and infield prospect Andrew Young, as well as a 2019 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick to the Diamondbacks for Goldschmidt. Weaver, a former first-round pick that was viewed as a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter in the St. Louis organization, will have to rebound from a spotty first year in the big leagues, while Kelly has been blocked by Yaider Molina. It’s a decent haul for Arizona, albeit one that comes with plenty of questions.
Goldschmidt averaged a .301//.406/.541 batting line with 30 home runs and 100 RBI per season since the beginning of 2013. He will slide into the middle of an order that includes Matt Carpenter, Marcell Ozuna and Paul DeJong. Carpenter is expected to move back to third base (his original position) to make room for Goldschmidt at first base. It’ll be interesting to see if the Cardinals try to sign Goldschmidt to a contract extension with only one year remaining on his current deal.
This St. Louis club still has some work to do this offseason. Right field is a problem and the team needs several upgrades in its bullpen. The starting pitching is talented but innings could be an issue as the team relies on youngster Jack Flaherty and Carlos Martinez, who is coming off an injury-plagued 2018 campaign. Still, the acquisition of Goldschmidt is critical to the team’s playoff odds. Many believe that he puts them back into contention.