Report: Astros, Cardinals had 'meaningful' talks with D-Backs on Goldschmidt

Paul Goldschmidt's potential trade market appears to be taking shape.

The Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly engaged the Arizona Diamondbacks in "meaningful discussions" about the star first baseman, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Neither team is close to completing a trade for the six-time All-Star, however, and Rosenthal reports that talks with Arizona are not yet at the advanced stages.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Diamondbacks, who scuffled to a third-place finish in 2018 after entering September atop the NL West, would be willing to listen to offers on high-priced stars Goldschmidt and star pitcher Zack Greinke. While Greinke remains under contract for another three seasons, Goldschmidt - who's set to earn $14.5-million in 2019 - only has one year of control remaining, as he'll become a free agent next winter.

Both the Astros and Cardinals would appear to be good fits for the slugger on paper. Houston's already scary lineup would improve tenfold by slotting Goldschmidt in alongside Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and George Springer, while his presence might also allow Yuli Gurriel to move into a utility role.

In St. Louis, meanwhile, he'd potentially form a lethal duo atop the order with Matt Carpenter, who could shift back to third base to make room for Goldschmidt defensively.

The 31-year-old Goldschmidt appeared in 158 games for the Diamondbacks last season, hitting .290/.389/.533 with 33 homers, 83 RBIs, 95 runs scored, 90 walks, and seven stolen bases. Those numbers earned him his fourth career Silver Slugger award and a sixth-place finish in NL MVP voting.