Paul Goldschmidt, one of the most accomplished players during the last decade-plus, will enter free agency for the first time in his career this winter.

Goldschmidt will enter his fifteenth MLB season next spring after eight years in Arizona and six years with the St. Louis Cardinals. During his time in the bigs, he’s secured four Gold Glove awards, five Silver Slugger awards, seven All-Star game appearances, and was named National League MVP after a fabulous 34-year-old season in 2022. For his career, he’s amassed 362 home runs, 1,187 RBIs, and 446 doubles (third, second, and second amongst active players, respectively).

Goldschmidt was selected in the 8th round of the 2009 MLB draft by the Diamondbacks and would make his MLB debut in August of 2011. He broke onto the scene in 2013 when he led the National League in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, and OPS, leading to a second place finish in MVP voting and the first of six consecutive All-Star appearances. He maintained a high batting average with frequent 30-home run seasons throughout his time with Arizona, but he only made one postseason appearance (2017).

Goldschmidt was traded to St. Louis in December of 2018 in exchange for RHP Luke Weaver and then-prospects Carson Kelly and Andrew Young. Among the six seasons he spent in St. Louis, he helped guide the Cardinals to four playoff appearances, had three 30+ home run seasons, and the aforementioned MVP year in 2022 when he led the National League in OPS.

Goldschmidt saw a major dip in production last season, slashing .245/.302/.414 with a .716 OPS, 22 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 33 doubles. The doubles are nothing to scoff at, but considering many of his stats were career lows and that he’ll be in his 37-year-old season when Spring Training rolls around, it’s fair to wonder if last season is a sign of things to come for the veteran first baseman. To his credit, however, Goldschmidt has played in at least 150 games for each of the last nine full MLB seasons, so durability and availability have not been an issue for him.

With all of that being said, Goldschmidt will still draw well-warranted attention during the offseason. How could he fit with the Blue Jays?

For one, Toronto has gotten further and further from the offensive potency of 2021 and 2022, and producing runs has been Goldschmidt’s calling card for the majority of his career. The Blue Jays finished first in the league in home runs and second in the league in RBIs in 2021 but they’ve fallen to finishing 26th and 23rd in home runs and RBIs respectively after the ’24 season. Goldschmidt primarily occupied the third spot in the batting order while with the Cardinals but the Blue Jays could try to plug him into the cleanup spot, a position that held a .689 OPS for Toronto last season. Goldschmidt posted a .295 batting average and an .839 OPS against left-handed pitchers last year, another area in which Toronto struggled.

Revisiting Goldschmidt’s durability, of the 154 games he played a year ago, 149 of them featured him playing first base. Depending on how serious the Blue Jays are with moving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to third base, Goldschmidt is a dependable option to regularly start at first while also getting some reps as the club’s designated hitter. Speaking of Guerrero Jr., if Goldschmidt can turn back the clock offensively, he’s an ideal piece to put in the lineup around Toronto’s young star.

Goldschmidt was not extended a qualifying offer by the Cardinals, and multiple sources have projected him earning a $10 to $15 million AAV on his next upcoming deal. This is an ideal price for the Blue Jays considering what has been freed up versus Mark Shapiro projecting their payroll being about the same. A contract like this for Goldschmidt would still leave them some room to add to more offensive production, a starting pitcher, or a high-leverage reliever.

The Blue Jays haven’t been shy in signing older veteran bats during each of the past two seasons; Brandon Belt (35) and Justin Turner (39) combined for 194 games between their respective seasons, and both found a home towards the top of Toronto’s order. This point probably hurts the case for Goldschmidt to wind up in Toronto as the Blue Jays may stray away from that trend, but also, history is our best predictor of the future.

If not Toronto, the Brewers, Mariners, and Reds are a couple of teams who have room at first base and need a boost to the offensive side if they felt Goldschmidt could complement their lineup. The odds of him going north of the border are slim and his age isn’t doing him many favors, but nonetheless, there will be a steady market for the veteran first baseman.