With MLB free agency mired in a bit of a lull, most of the attention has since shifted to the trade market. A few blockbusters have come to fruition in recent weeks, including one between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds, involving Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig.
However, perhaps the most notable to take place was a December trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals that sent six-time All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt out of the National League West.
“That, I was very happy to see,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the trade. “Goldy, he can stay in the Central as long as he wants.
” I’m trying to work getting him in the American League next. “But Goldy, gosh, one of my favorite players to watch. And so to get him out of our division, it’s great. I hope he’s happy. I gotta send him flowers.”
The 31-year-old, a mainstay in the middle of the Diamondbacks lineup since his debut in 2011, departs the organization with an impressive résumé. Over eight seasons, Goldschmidt emerged as one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball with 267 doubles, 209 home runs and 710 RBI.
As Roberts noted, Goldschmidt was a thorn in the Dodgers’ side for the better part their matchups. In 130 games against Los Angeles, he owns a career .302/.376/.551 with 31 doubles, 31 home runs and 98 RBI.
Adding more sting to that is the Dodgers are the team that originally drafted Goldschmidt in 2009.
Now instead of playing him 19 times per season as a member of the Diamondbacks, Roberts and the Dodgers can take solace in the fact that they will only face Goldschmidt for seven games during the 2019 season.
