Early on in the offseason, third basemen Josh Donaldson had been the main attention of the St. Louis Cardinals, a team looking for a corner infielder, but now, the attention has been shifted elsewhere.

Yesterday, Donaldson inked a one year contract with the Atlanta Braves for 23 million dollars, ultimately eliminating him from the free agent market. The Cardinals had a fair amount of interest in the 2015 AL MVP,  but now that interest has been shifted. Now, the Cardinals turn to the trade market and the rebuilding Arizona Diamondbacks, for star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and ace Zack Greinke.

Greinke and Goldschmidt both had exceptional 2018 seasons, but like every trade, they both have their pros and cons. Goldschmidt’s cons are very limited. Goldschmidt is entering his age 31 season, which is a bit of a concern, but mainly, the fact that he is a free agent after 2019 could spell a short tenure with the Cardinals. However, he also put up a .290 batting average, slugged out 33 home runs, 83 RBI, and can even run a little bit for a first basemen. On top of that, he finished 6th in MVP voting and was named an all star and a silver slugger. While the standard for Diamondbacks players are to have inflated numbers with a hitter friendly Chase Field, Goldschmidt actually put up better numbers away from home, meaning that he could see improvement if traded.

As for Greinke, his cons are much more prevailing. He is owed a total of 104 million dollars over the next three years, or 35 a year. His contract expires in 2021, his age 37 season. While Greinke is still a quality pitcher, the contract AAV does not add up to the results that Greinke puts up at his age. He was still good in 2018, going 15-11 with a 3.21 ERA, though Greinke was better in Chase Field, meaning that he could see a decline away from there, but that would remain to be seen.

So, what would a potential trade look like? The DBacks have said that they would eat some of Greinke’s contract, and would be willing to take on all of Dexter Fowlers contract, which is looking like dead weight for St. Louis. With the addition of a starter to an already deep starting pitching depth, Luke Weaver and Austin Gomber would also surely be in the trade, as their spots on the team are already diminishing. It would likely include another prospect or two as well. There is also a chance that Jedd Gyorko is in this deal if it is completed as well, as the addition of Goldschmidt would take away his role on the team.

While Goldschmidt and Greinke seem like very good fits in St. Louis, they are also looking at Mike Moustakas, and have not eliminated the chance at Bryce Harper as their impact bat that they have been desperately looking for now for three offseasons.