The Yankees’ swift departure from the Division Series at the hands of the Rays marked the end of the 16th season of Paul Goldschmidt’s career. The veteran first baseman told reporters, including Jon Heyman of the New York Post, that he’d like to continue playing beyond this year.
Goldschmidt turned 39 years old in early September. He’s signed one-year deals in each of the past two offseasons. He’ll almost certainly be looking at a one-year pact this winter. Despite his advanced age, he’s coming off a solid offensive season in New York. Goldschmidt also remained a plus defender at first base.
New York brought Goldschmidt back on a $4MM agreement in February. He was expected to serve as the short side of a platoon with Ben Rice. Injuries at other positions allowed Rice to step into everyday playing time, and he emerged as an MVP candidate. With Rice spending part of his time at DH, Goldschmidt earned regular at-bats early in the year. He compiled a strong .867 OPS through June. Goldschmidt then faded in the second half and ceded playing time to trade deadline acquisition Luis Garcia Jr. The final result was a 111 wRC+ over 380 plate appearances.
Goldschmidt is best suited in a lefty masher role, as the Yankees intended. He slashed .299/.393/.573 with 11 homers in 183 plate appearances versus southpaws. The veteran hit just .213 with an elevated 26.9% strikeout rate over 197 plate appearances against righties.
Yankee Stadium is a favorable hitting venue, but Goldschmidt actually did more of his damage on the road. He had an .825 OPS in away games compared to a .694 mark at home. That bodes well for sustaining his production if he heads to a new team. That seems like the likeliest scenario given New York’s current roster.
The Yankees have Garcia under contract through next season. There’s a chance he moves back to second base in 2027, but he’s been a dreadful defender there. Giancarlo Stanton returned in the playoffs and will likely regain his role as the semi-regular DH. Rice has to play every day, and he no longer seems like an option behind the plate. It’d be tough to fit Goldschmidt this time around if the rest of the options are healthy.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
