The longterm deal Arizona didn’t think it could present Goldschmidt — and, thus, traded the franchise cornerstone — the Cardinals finalized before leaving spring training with a club-record five-year, $130-million extension. That bought both sides some peace as these final months and weeks of the season weren’t polluted with persistent questions about Goldschmidt’s future with the club or the hole he’d leave behind. The Cardinals were surprised Goldschmidt agreed to a deal before ever playing a game in St. Louis.
More than nine months after the trade that sent Goldschmidt to the Cardinals from the only organization he’d known, the six-time All-Star returned to Chase Field for the first time as a visiting player.