Remember how just last week Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was pushing back against the narrative that his team is simply “running it back” with basically the same team from last season? Yeah, this won’t help. The Yankees are finalizing a deal to bring back free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal, according to ESPN.
Goldschmidt, 38, is in the twilight of an amazing career that might one day land him in the Hall of Fame. Last season, he hit .274/.328/.403 (104 OPS+), but that was held up by a really hot start that didn’t last. In his last 90 games, Goldschmidt hit .223/.274/.330 and by the time the playoffs came around, he wasn’t a regular starter.
The opening for playing time in 2026 for Goldschmidt would be the right-handed hitting side of a platoon at first base with lefty-swinging Ben Rice. Rice hit just .208 against lefties last season, so there’s an opportunity for Goldschmidt to grab at-bats against tough lefties, at least to start the season.
To this point, Goldschmidt has played in parts of 15 MLB seasons. He’s a career .288/.378/.504 (137 OPS+) hitter with 2,190 hits, 477 doubles, 372 home runs, 1,232 RBI, 1,280 runs, 174 stolen bases and 63.8 WAR. The seven-time All-Star and 2022 NL MVP ranks 16th all-time in WAR among first basemen.