JUPITER, Fla. — The ink on his contract extension was not even dry before Paul Goldschmidt showed again on Friday why the Cardinals wanted to lock him up to a long-term deal.
After taking a physical exam, the final requirement to the extension, Goldschmidt made the 30-minute trip from Jupiter and was in the lineup against the Mets – and promptly delivered three more hits, including his second home run of the spring.
Goldschmidt doubled in the first, homered in the third and tripled in the sixth, the beneficiary of a favorable scoring decision, as the Cardinals had their second big offensive day in a row after struggling offensively for most of the spring.
The Cardinals are expected to formally announce on Saturday that Goldschmidt has agreed to a five-year extension, beginning in 2020, worth a reported $130 million. The deal will be the largest both in terms of the total dollar amount and annual salary in team history.
Here is how the game broke down:
High: With four more hits, and three RBIs, Tommy Edman raised his spring average to .375 and is making certain there is another name in the conversation about who will win the last spot on the bench to begin the regular season.
Low: After not allowing a run so far this spring, Dominic Leone gave up four hits and walked a batter in 1 1/3 innings, allowing one run.
At the plate: The Cardinals pounded out 21 hits. Marcell Ozuna homered for the second game in a row and Yadier Molina had two hits and three RBIs … Regulars Harrison Bader, Paul DeJong and Kolten Wong also had two hits each … Eleven of their 21 hits went for extra-bases after they had nine extra-base hits among their 14 hits on Thursday against the Yankees … The Cardinals scored six runs in the final two innings, capped by a two-run double by Andrew Knizner.
On the mound: John Gant, who lost the race for the open spot in the starting rotation to Dakota Hudson, pitched into the sixth inning in the start before he moves to the bullpen. He gave up a leadoff homer, but then allowed only two more runs before coming out of the game … The Cardinals got scoreless innings from Mike Mayers and Alex Reyes, who worked a 1-2-3 ninth. Both Mayers and Reyes have been told they will be in the bullpen when the regular season begins next week.
Off the field: The Cardinals began to finalize their opening-day roster by announcing that Matt Wieters had won the backup catcher spot. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, left-hander Chasen Shreve, who struggled this spring, was designated for assignment because he is out of options. Francisco Pena has not decided whether he will accept an assignment to Memphis or pursue opportunities with other organizations … The Cardinals still have to make decisions on the final relievers in the bullpen and the last bench spot, a battle that includes Yairo Munoz and Drew Robinson.
Up next: Miles Mikolas will get his final tuneup before the regular-season opener on Saturday when he starts against the Nationals in West Palm Beach in the next to last game of the spring.
