Last week, veteran right-handed hitter Paul Goldschmidt signed another one-year deal with the New York Yankees. This is the second consecutive one-year deal the future Hall of Fame player Paul Goldschmidt has signed with the Yankees. Last season, his deal was worth over $10 million, but this time it clocks in at $4 million with incentives. The former National League MVP has entered the swan song of his career, but that does not mean that he cannot be an addition to this Yankees ball club.
Goldschmidt
Last season, Goldschmidt started the season as the starting first baseman, but as the season went along, and Yankees’ blossoming star Ben Rice was starting to show real promise… Goldschmidt’s role was reduced to a platoon option versus left-handed pitching and a late-inning defensive replacement for Ben Rice. I anticipate this will be a similar role for him and is explanatory as to why he only received $4 million from the Yankees. Reports are out there that he received higher offers from other teams, but he decided to stay with what he knew. Odds are he wanted to stay in New York due to their ability to compete with the class of the American League year-to-year, as well as their propensity to treat veteran players with the utmost respect. They do have an immaculate reputation with this, sometimes to a fault.
Goldschmidt had over 400 plate appearances last season, and those numbers truly dwindled at the end of the season. He was unbelievable in the first half, batting well over .300 and almost received an All-Star nod, but as the season went on, his hopes for becoming the starter in the postseason dwindled, and he started to show his age.
“Running it Back”
The Yankees have received a lot of criticism from fans about “running it back” with the same lineup, but the Yankees believe adding Gerrit Cole halfway through the year should be the big “offseason acquisition” that everyone was hoping for. They won’t be dodging the accusations with the re-signing of Goldschmidt. Manager Aaron Boone has stated publicly that he believes that this was the best team he’s had as manager of the New York Yankees. Even better than the World Series team with Juan Soto batting in front of Aaron Judge.
Why Goldschmidt?
So why are the Yankees more excited about their team than anyone else? Well, it is because of Potential and bringing back the righty first baseman who still has gold glove potential defense at first base can do for their future. Ben Rice is a converted catcher who is not good enough to play catcher in the Major Leagues, but has a bat that demands he be in the lineup. He could play DH, but not for the Yankees because that is Giancarlo Stanton’s spot. So, where to put him? First base. He played okay in 2025, but definitely had defensive lapses throughout the season. Goldschmidt has four gold gloves and has some value against lefties as a bench option, which is great for the Yankees, but the real value in Goldschmidt is to mentor Ben Rice defensively. This pairing is going to be seen pre-game all season and starts in Spring Training. In my view, the Yankees believe that this could give Ben Rice the chance to stick at first base long-term, which is great for the Yankees in the short term and in 2 years when Giancarlo Stanton’s contract runs up. I think they would prefer to see their DH spot not clogged, no matter what, after having Stanton the last 9 years. This is no disrespect to Stanton because when he is on the field, he is greatly productive, but overall Ben Rice is young enough and can learn to play first base for the New York Yankees.
The Yankees have a lot to consider this offseason, but then again… They do not because of the fact that they have resigned almost everyone from last season. Goldschmidt helps to alleviate a lot of that thought.
