Brewers Rumors: MLB Insider's report of Crew's interest in rival slugger is puzzling

The regular season is only just wrapping up and the Brewers have potentially a lengthy postseason ahead of them still, but that doesn't stop the rumor mill, which is just cranking up.

In his end of the season awards and notes column, Bob Nightengale reported that the Milwaukee Brewers are "keeping an eye on" Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt if he doesn't return to St. Louis this offseason. Nightengale also says "They still believe there’s plenty left in the tank."

Front offices have to continually be looking ahead and the Brewers have likely been keeping tabs on potential free agents and have an idea already of the guys they want to target. That said, let's get into just how wild this rumor actually is.

Could the Brewers swap out their first baseman again?

The first issue with this report is the presence of Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins has a player opt-out after this season and he could re-enter the free agent market. However, Hoskins hasn't had one of his better seasons and there's a non-zero chance that Hoskins chooses to stay in Milwaukee for a second season.

Paul Goldschmidt, meanwhile, is 37 years old and clearly showing signs of decline. After his MVP season in 2022, Goldschmidt regressed in 2023 and continued to take a major step backward in 2024. This will be the first season in Goldschmidt's career that he will finish with an OPS+ below 100. He sits at 97 entering the final game of the season.

Goldy's homers have declined, he just drew the fewest amount of walks he ever has in a full season and his strikeout rate has climbed the last two years as well. Despite all of this, Nightengale reports the Brewers believe there's more left in the tank. There may be some left, but there isn't much.

There's also the high likelihood that the Cardinals do bring Goldschmidt back. He's making $26MM this year in the final year of his contract. Whatever new contract he signs is going to be for a much smaller amount. That could also explain why this report was floated out about the Brewers having interest despite still having an unsettled Hoskins situation. Interest from a rival club increases leverage on a team like the Cardinals who don't want to see their star go to Milwaukee.

We saw something similar during the Trade Deadline, where both the Brewers and Cardinals had interest in Erick Fedde and then next thing you know, the Cardinals up their offer and are able to acquire Fedde.

This report is a little puzzling considering where the Brewers are with Hoskins and where Goldschmidt is in his career. Time will tell if this report has any legs, but that won't be known until the offseason actually gets started and Hoskins makes a decision on his opt-out. Until then, there's not much to read into with Nightengale's report.