Goldschmidt is hitting second Thursday against the Brewers.

EDGE Analysis

The Cardinals will put their best hitter in the two hole, putting an end to any thoughts that they might give that spot to Dexter Fowler in an effort to get him off to a hot start. Matt Carpenter is leading off while Paul DeJong and Marcell Ozuna hit third and fourth, respectively.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a Grapefruit League win over the Braves on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Fresh off signing a five-year, $130 million extension earlier in the weekend, Goldschmidt commemorated the milestone with his third round tripper of spring. The veteran slugger has wasted no time in acclimating to his new St. Louis digs, hitting .280 with three doubles, one triple, three homers and six RBI over Grapefruit League at-bats.

Goldschmidt and the Cardinals will sign an extension worth approximately $130 million over five years Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Cardinals traded for Goldschmidt over the offseason with just one year remaining on his deal, presumably with the intention of convincing him to stick around long-term. The deal closes off the possibility of the first baseman leaving for a more hitter-friendly home park in the offseason, but it will keep him in an organization that should be able to put a quality lineup around him for the next several years.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Monday against the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

Goldschmidt launched an offering from Zach Eflin over the left-field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning to record his first home run of spring training with his new club. The long ball was his third extra-base hit, and he is now 10-for-36 with seven walks in Grapefruit League action.

Goldschmidt, who went 1-for-2 with a walk in Tuesday's 2-1 Grapefruit League loss to the Phillies, is hitting .364 over his first 15 spring plate appearances.

EDGE Analysis

It's been a relatively quiet .364 -- Goldschmidt's sole extra-base hit is a double -- but it certainly qualifies as an encouraging start for the prize offseason acquisition. The veteran slugger overcame a slow start in 2018 to put together a second consecutive 30-homer season for the Diamondbacks, which also ranked as his third in the last four campaigns overall. Still only 31 years old, Goldschmidt is expected to muster a similar caliber of production in St. Louis, although the change in home park could make it more challenging for him to match the long-ball numbers he's generated in recent years. Another aspect of Goldschmidt's game to monitor will be what was once above-average stolen-base production -- after notching a combined 53 thefts in the 2015-16 seasons, he's seen his numbers in that category drop in each of the last two campaigns.

The Diamondbacks will trade Goldschmidt to the Cardinals on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Talks between the two clubs quickly escalated Wednesday afternoon, and it appears a deal has been struck to send the perennial All-Star to St. Louis. At this time, there has been no word on the return for the Diamondbacks, but it's expected that the rest of the deal will come to light within the next few hours. Goldschmidt will immediately provide a strong middle-of-the-order bat to the Cardinals after slashing .290/.389/.533 with 33 home runs and 83 RBI last season, which is all the more impressive considering he was barely above the Mendoza line at the end of May.

The Diamondbacks exercised Goldschmidt's $14.5 million option for 2019, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

This comes as no surprise, as Goldschmidt posted another MVP-caliber season for the Diamondbacks in 2018, hitting .290/.389/.533 with 33 homers, 83 RBI and seven stolen bases in 158 games. He'll reprise his role as the team's everyday first baseman in 2019 and figures to once again be one of the top fantasy options at the position.

Goldschmidt is not in the lineup Saturday against San Diego.

EDGE Analysis

Goldschmidt will get his third day off in the last nine games with the Diamondbacks having missed out on the playoffs. Daniel Descalso starts at first base.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-6 with a walk and a stolen base Friday in the Diamondbacks' 3-2 loss to the Padres in 15 innings.

EDGE Analysis

While the seven thefts Goldschmidt has provided in 2018 amounts to serviceable production from a first baseman, it likely represents a disappointing output for those that rostered him, considering he had no fewer than 15 steals in all but one of the previous six seasons. After a glacially slow start to the season, Goldschmidt has at least rallied to meet draft-day expectations with a .290 average and 33 home runs, though his team's collective offensive slide in the second half will likely prevent him from reaching the century mark in RBI (95) and runs (83). Those totals represent his lowest outputs in both categories since 2014, when he was sidelined for the final two months of the season with a broken hand.

Goldschmidt is not in the lineup Monday against the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Torey Lovullo is resting a handful of starters with the Diamondbacks eliminated from the playoffs. Christian Walker will start at first base and hit cleanup in place of Goldschmidt in Monday's series opener.