Paul Goldschmidt: Will not be given qualifying offer

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed Monday that the team will not extend Goldschmidt a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

It's been reported previously that the Cardinals are also not expected to negotiate with Goldschmidt on a lesser salary, so the veteran first baseman will be allowed to depart as a free agent. Goldschmidt slashed just .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs in 2024 and turned 37 in September, but he should still draw some interest from clubs willing to take a shot on a bounce-back year in 2025.