JUPITER, Fla. _ Gathered toward the back of a press conference that was Paul Goldschmidt, personified, stood a bunch of Cardinals.
"Y'all go ahead with questions, I guess," said Goldschmidt in his first public comments since his record-setting contract.
I've got one, but it's for the guys at the back. Who's next?
Let's take some pressure off Goldschmidt for a moment, considering he seems as uncomfortable behind a podium as he is elite at first base. The guy is here to play baseball and win championships. Press conferences are not his deal. If it was fake, it would be tiresome. It's not. He's real.
The guy had to be pulled from the batting cage for the announcement of his five-year, $130 million extension. He asked to be in the lineup for the Grapefruit League road game that followed a press conference that was not televised. He doesn't Tweet or Instagram. What he does do is play baseball exceptionally well, and now he will be paid handsomely to do it for the Cardinals through 2024.
That one of the best players in the National League does not see the point in analyzing the impact of his extension does not mean there isn't one. Especially when it significantly brightens the future for an organization that could have some more intriguing extension candidates soon. Especially when Goldschmidt's decision to extend was one of many in a recent trend across the sport that is painting free agency as a cold, cruel gauntlet.
If you are an up-and-coming Cardinals star _ like, say, Jack Flaherty or Jordan Hicks _ has considering or maybe even pursuing an extension with the Cardinals ever appeared more appealing?
And if you are the Cardinals, has a tried-and-true approach that prioritizes keeping the talent you know best ever seemed to exist in such a sweet spot on the Venn diagram of wise and trendy?
Baseball has fallen in love with extensions this spring. The Cardinals, with three under their belt since the start of Grapefruit League play, are not new to the party. Still, they're celebrating.
ESPN baseball columnist Buster Olney pointed out this week that baseball is in the midst of an extension binge that, since the start of spring training, has rewarded more than $1 billion to players who were not free agents. Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman and Chris Sale have joined Goldschmidt, Jose Martinez and Miles Mikolas in their decisions to re-up with current teams instead of prepare for the grind free agency has become.
Olney, citing the MLB Trade Rumors extension tracker, produced a stunning stat. Between 2015 and 2018, 21 spring-training extensions were signed across baseball. This spring alone? Seventeen, and counting. You better believe the next wave of players are watching. You better believe the Cardinals approve of this trend.
"There are a lot of players who are extending because they are happy where they are, and the dollars in extensions are fairly high," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. "(The extensions) reflect the quality of the players. There is no reason for them to move, unless they are not happy with the team, not happy with the future the team might have, or not happy with the contract.
"For those who are on top teams and like playing there, it makes a lot of sense. The contracts are guaranteed money, and they don't have to think about interviewing 10, 12 teams. 'Who really wants me? Who is going to pay the most?' It may not be the team you want to play for.
"Over the years, those who have hit free agency _ it's highlighted now because some of the older free agents aren't doing as well as they hoped _ but it's always been a tough experience for players. And teams, for that matter. Because you don't know what other teams are bidding, whether you have a shot or don't have a shot. It's a market-based system. With 30 teams out there, you never know who is laying in the weeds to sign a player. It can be difficult."
Goldschmidt just joined a long list of players the Cardinals traded for, then convinced to stay. His commitment was the positive reinforcement the team needed after Jason Heyward sidestepped an approach that suited Matt Holliday, Jim Edmonds, Mark McGwire and more. Goldschmidt proved trade-and-extend can still work for the Cards.
The Cardinals can also point to an impressive number of home-grown prospects they smartly persuaded to sign extensions that offered increased pay for the elimination and/or delay of free agency. Yadier Molina, Matt Carpenter, Carlos Martinez, Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong come to mind. There is a pretty good track record of performance among these names. Sure, there were some foul tips. But Stephen Piscotty was a unique circumstance who netted Yairo Munoz and Max Schrock in a trade, and the Cardinals turned their deal with Allen Craig into 44 starts from John Lackey. Impressive, all things considered.
Now, let's look at recent returns on free agency. Mikolas? Winner. Dexter Fowler? To be determined. Brett Cecil and Luke Gregerson? Not looking good. Mike Leake and Greg Holland? Ouch.
"You are always better off knowing what you know than what you don't know," president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. "Being able to extend somebody within your organization, you are more confident in that decision."
There are different ways to build a contending team, and one of the few ways the Cardinals have had more whiffs than hits as of late seems to be turning off a growing number of good players. Players, as a whole, should be concerned about the fall of free agency. The individual player, however, tends to worry about what is best for him.
Former free agents Manny Machado and Bryce Harper made big money, but did they land with the teams they most wanted? The still-ongoing free agencies of Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel get more frightening by the day. Meanwhile, Trout, Arenado, Sale and Goldschmidt got rich(er) by staying put.
"We are always open for business," DeWitt said. "That's our standard line, and it's true. It's not a company line. It's a true line."
Security now has never seemed sexier. Few teams sell it to the right internal candidates like the Cardinals.
