NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees have agreed to a one-year, $12.5 million contract with veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, league sources confirmed Friday. The deal brings the six-time All-Star to the Bronx following the worst season of his career.
Goldschmidt, 37, posted a league-average 100 wRC+ over 154 games with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024, finishing with career lows in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. However, he showed signs of improvement late in the season, posting a .799 OPS in his final 62 games after struggling with a .664 OPS through his first 92 contests.
“This is probably the worst I’ve performed on the field in my career,” Goldschmidt said at the season’s end. “That was disappointing, a good bit of that burden was on me.”
The Yankees are betting on a bounce-back year from the potential Hall of Famer, whose batted-ball metrics suggest he may have been unlucky in 2024. The signing addresses a critical weakness for New York, which finished 2024 with the lowest OPS (.619) among all MLB teams at first base.
The move comes after the Yankees declined Anthony Rizzo’s $17 million club option. Their internal options at first base – including Ben Rice, DJ LeMahieu, and Oswaldo Cabrera – struggled both offensively and defensively last season.
Goldschmidt’s addition likely clarifies the Yankees’ outfield alignment, with Cody Bellinger expected to play either left or center field, Jasson Domínguez competing for the other spot, and Aaron Judge returning to right field.
Despite concerns about Goldschmidt’s declining performance against fastballs and career-worst walk rate in 2024, the Yankees view the one-year commitment as a calculated risk. His .865 OPS against left-handed pitchers last season suggests he could be effective in a platoon role if necessary.
The signing reunites Goldschmidt with Judge, after the two MVPs previously worked together in spring training 2023 to refine their hitting approaches.
