Are the Cardinals going to waste the golden years of Arenado and Goldschmidt?

Lot of spending to aim for a wildcard berth.

When the Cardinals traded for Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, the speculation was this is a team posed to do big things. They didn’t just want to compete and try to find a way into postseason play. It was time to rise up and just snatch the division title.

Here’s a popular misconception. The Cardinals do actually spend money. Big money. A team that guards their dollars doesn’t hand an over 30 years old Goldschmidt $125 million over five years. They don’t sweeten an already strong Arenado contract, with the hopes of keeping him from opting out.

They were at the front of the line on Giancarlo Stanton, ready to spend over $230 million on his services. When David Price became available, St. Louis was there with a very good offer. The Yankees and Red Sox loomed too large over those offers, and snatched those players away. It’s easier to argue that Price was a bigger miss, especially with the emergence of Tyler O’Neill and the formulation of the current outfield.