Goldschmidt’s .534 ranks first.

“It was a great division before that trade and even better now,” Cubs president Theo Epstein told reporters in Chicago on Thursday. “Not having made the playoffs three years in a row and having that kind of depth of younger talent — we expected (the Cardinals) to make another consolidation-type move for another great player, and they certainly got a truly elite player in Paul Goldschmidt.”

Cardinals officials, manager, and ownership have reserved comment on the trade until Friday’s press conference.

Ward, who was recently hired as Cincinnati’s hitting coach , has an idea of the impression Goldschmidt will make. He’s seen it since he was the Gold Glove-winner’s manager at Class AA.

“There were some naysayers out there that wondered if he could adapt to big-league pitching, but that was never, never, ever a question for me,” Ward said. “He’s strong mentally, he looks for adjustments, he adapts, and I’ve never had a player that was as good as him already come to me and say, ‘What do I need to do better?’ That is the best question a coach can ever hear.”