Trading Paul Goldschmidt is painful, but it makes sense
The term “face of the franchise” gets tossed around a lot in professional sports these days, but it aptly described what first baseman Paul Goldschmidt meant to the Diamondbacks.
If it didn’t, the team’s fans wouldn’t be so disappointed that sentences like the one above now are written in the past tense.
Goldschmidt, the best homegrown player in team history, is no longer a Diamondback. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday for three other faces and a draft pick.
For Diamondbacks fans, the resulting sadness will linger through the winter and beyond.
It wasn’t just the home runs, RBIs and Gold Gloves that endeared Goldschmidt to fans, although they formed a nice starting point for the relationship.
It was his story. His demeanor. His sincerity. His utter embarrassment at the notion he was the face of anything, much less a franchise.
We rarely, if ever, saw that face change expression. You couldn’t tell by looking if Goldschmidt was hitting .144, as he did last May, or .364 as he did last August.
During that May slump, Goldschmidt actually felt sorry for manager Torey Lo-
vullo, who had to answer daily questions from reporters about his star’s lack of production.
“Just tell them that I suck,” Goldschmidt said. Goldschmidt hated talking about his many accomplishments. The career .297 average, being a six-time all-star, finishing three times in the top three in National League most valuable player voting.
Last August, Goldschmidt hit his 200th career home run but wanted it to be treated as if it was his 20th. He didn’t understand the fuss.
That night in San Francisco, he shrugged off a few questions from reporters, prompting teammate Steve Souza to call out sarcastically, “Oh, whoop-de-doo, Goldy hit 200 homers.”
Reporters laughed. Goldschmidt did not. “Exactly,” he said with a serious look on his face. That has long been Goldschmidt’s way. If he hit a grand slam, he went out of his way to compliment a teammate, saying he made it possible by getting on base.
Several years ago, some teammates had T-shirts made that proclaimed Goldschmidt “America’s First Baseman.”
Embarrassed, Goldschmidt made them promise not to wear the shirts in public, and he kept his stashed deep in his locker. But someone noticed the Diamondbacks had been winning at home, where Goldschmidt had the T-shirt, and losing on the road, where he did not.
So next road trip, Goldschmidt brought the Tt-shirt with him, even though he hated it.
“I was like, ‘You know, let’s see if this can help out.’ Just a stupid superstition,” he said at the time. It didn’t, but at least Goldschmidt was willing to try. For the most part, Goldschmidt always let his performance speak for him. But as a high-school and college player, not enough people listened. His highschool coach tried to convince coaches at major colleges that they were making a major mistake by not recruiting him.
His college coach did much the same thing with pro scouts.
Goldschmidt’s first full season with the Diamondbacks was 2012, three years after being drafted in the eighth round out of Texas State.
He hit .286 with 20 home runs and 82 RBIs in 2012, leaving everyone wondering: How did this kid last until the eighth round?
Prior to the 2013 season, Goldschmidt signed a fiveyear, $32 million dollar contract. Almost immediately, he became one of the most underpaid players in the game.
But he never complained.
As much as it hurts, trading Goldschmidt makes sense for the Diamondbacks. He’s 31 and has one year left on his contract. As currently constructed, the Diamondbacks aren’t a contender, and they need to replenish their farm system.
According to Nick Piecoro, the Diamondbacks beat writer for azcentral sports, the team and Goldschmidt’s agent talked about a new contract but weren’t able to reach an agreement.
Goldschmidt’s worked several years at a discounted rate, so it’s understandable he would want to leave open the option of becoming a free agent a year from now.
In return for Goldschmidt, the Diamondbacks received two players with Major League experience, pitcher Luke Weaver and catcher Carson Kelly, minorleague infielder Andrew Young and a draft pick.
According to early reviews of the trade, the Diamondbacks received a decent return.
Two things are certain: This trade always will be painful for Diamondback fans. And Goldschmidt will hate the ovation he’ll receive when the Cardinals visit Chase Field in September.