By Kent Somers |Arizona Republic
The term “face of the franchise” gets tossed around a lot in professional sports these days, but it aptly described what first baseman Paul Goldschmidt meant to the Diamondbacks.
If it didn’t, the team’s fans wouldn’t be so disappointed that sentences like the one above now are written in the past tense.
Goldschmidt, the best homegrown player in team history, is no longer a Diamondback. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday for three other faces and a draft pick.
For Diamondbacks fans, the resulting sadness will linger through the winter and beyond.
It wasn’t just the home runs, RBIs and Gold Gloves that endeared Goldschmidt to fans, although they formed a nice starting point for the relationship.
It was his story. His demeanor. His sincerity. His utter embarrassment at the notion he was the face of anything, much less a franchise.
