After being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this month, former Arizona Diamondbacks star Paul Goldschmidt said a thank-you and goodbye to D-backs fans in a full-page ad in the Arizona Republic on Sunday.
"There is something incredibly special about the place where you first see your dreams come true," Goldschmidt wrote at the beginning of his note. "That's what Arizona is to me, and man, is this place special. That makes it very hard to say goodbye.
"Thank you to all of the fans who have supported me over the years, staying loyal through the ups and downs."
A final class act by Paul with an ad in today’s Arizona Republic. It was a true honor working along such a humble and talented person. We’ll always be pulling for you, Amy and your whole family. pic.twitter.com/57iUQaQN9X
— Josh Rawitch (@joshrawitch) December 23, 2018
Goldschmidt was selected by the Diamondbacks in the eighth round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He is a three-time Gold Glove Award and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and he has been selected to six straight All-Star Games. He has twice been the runner-up for the National League MVP award.
Goldschmidt leaves Arizona as the D-backs' all-time leader in numerous categories, including on-base percentage, slugging percentage and walks. He is No. 2 in team history behind Luis Gonzalez in hits, home runs, doubles, RBIs and runs scored.
The 31-year-old Goldschmidt was set to make $14.5 million next season before becoming a free agent heading into the 2020 season.
