D-backs discussed Paul Goldschmidt with Astros, Rays
Dec 6, 2018, 11:32 AM | Updated: 12:05 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt (44) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run off Houston Astros relief pitcher Luke Gregerson, as shortstop Marwin Gonzalez stands near second base during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
(AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Three teams were considered to be in “serious discussions” with the D-backs to acquire Paul Goldschmidt, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro, who said the teams were the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays.
Of course, a trade came to fruition with St. Louis.
The D-backs dealt Goldschmidt in exchange for three players and a compensatory draft pick on Wednesday, ending the Arizona tenure of a first baseman who was undoubtedly the best homegrown player in the franchise’s history.
It’s unclear what the return would’ve been had the 31-year-old gone to Tampa Bay or Houston.
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Goldschmidt, a six-time All-Star, attended high school in The Woodlands, Texas, a suburb on the north side of Houston. He went to college at Texas State University, from which he was drafted by the D-backs in 2009. The New York Times wrote that Goldschmidt was at a 2005 NLCS game in a series that the Astros would eventually win, coincidentally over the Cardinals, sending Houston to the World Series.
The first basemen at the top of the Astros’ and Rays’ depth charts are Yuli Gurriel and Jake Bauers, respectively.
