Paul Goldschmidt Trade Opens Window in West for San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants have had to deal with three postseason contenders from the NL West the last few years. But with the Goldschmidt trade, it opens a small window of contention for this team in 2019.

When news broke this afternoon of Paul Goldschmidt’s trade to the St. Louis Cardinals, plenty of San Francisco Giants fans, and pitchers breathed a massive sigh of relief. Goldschmidt has been single-handedly wrecking the San Francisco Giants ever since he came into the league in 2011. Many remember his massive blast off Tim Lincecum, who was still an ace at the time, for his first career home run.

Goldschmidt has a career slash line of .284/.397/.507/.904 against the San Francisco Giants, with 22 homers and 79 RBI. He also has 10 more plate appearances against the Giants than any other team.

With Goldschmidt now departing to St. Louis, the Dodgers are the clear front-runners in the division, while the Rockies window may in fact be closing. That leaves the Padres and the Giants as teams who could seek to jump into that area of contention.

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The Padres have the highly touted farm system, but as usual with them, nobody is quite sure if they’ll stick to their plan. They’re in need of legitimate starting pitching, and for some of their young players to actually match expectations.

The Rockies have made the postseason for the last two seasons, but still lack elite starting pitching, and their core position players are continuing to either age, or move on. Nolan Arenado doesn’t seem like he’s sticking around when his contract comes up, and Trevor Story is the real younger player that the franchise has their hopes pinned on. They’ll still be around the top for the next two years, but the question is whether or not the Giants can begin to challenge them.

If the San Francisco Giants want to contend they’re going to have to add some real talent to the roster. They need help in the outfield, and need another legitimate starter. With an aging roster, the question of their ability to compete is rightfully there, but when they’re healthy, they’re still a pretty solid team.

Health, and some roster additions could have the San Francisco Giants competing for the division in 2019, as you wouldn’t expect a whole lot from the Diamondbacks or Padres. So, thanks Arizona! Thanks for opening a new window of opportunity in the West for the Giants.