In the spring of 2023, the reigning MVPs of the American and National Leagues — Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt — convened in a Tampa, Fla. batting cage with a singular goal: What can they learn from one another so they can inflict even more damage on opposing pitchers?
Nearly two years later, the two are now teammates. The New York Yankees have agreed to a one-year, $12.5 million contract with Goldschmidt, sources confirmed to The Athletic. YES Network’s Jack Curry first reported the news.
Goldschmidt, 37, is coming off the worst season of his career. In 2024, he posted a 100 wRC+ over 154 games with the St. Louis Cardinals. Goldschmidt finished a league-average hitter after posting a .664 OPS through his first 92 games, coming back to finish with a .799 OPS in his final 62 games.
“This is probably the worst I’ve performed on the field in my career,” Goldschmidt said at the end of the season. “That was disappointing, a good bit of that burden was on me. If I could’ve played how I believe I’m capable of playing, we could’ve won more games and maybe this might have turned out differently.”
With how Goldschmidt ended the season and his batted-ball metrics not completely falling off, the Yankees found a one-year contract for the potential future Hall of Fame first baseman palatable.
Going into the season with Goldschmidt as the starting first baseman comes with risk though. He finished the 2024 season with the worst walk rate of his career and the highest strikeout rate since his rookie season in 2011. His ability to hit fastballs has also declined in back-to-back seasons. His two highest whiff rates against fastballs in his career have come in 2023 and 2024. His lowest slugging percentages against fastballs have also come in 2023 and 2024.
Given his age, these past two seasons could indicate the start of his decline. His batting average, on-base, and slugging percentages were all career lows in 2024.
Even if Goldschmidt does not produce at league-leading rates as he once did, being league average would be significantly better than what the Yankees received from the position in 2024.
As the year progressed, upgrading first base emerged as a pressing need for the Yankees. The team finished the 2024 season with the lowest OPS in the league at first base, posting a dismal .619.
Anthony Rizzo posted an 85 wRC+, the worst mark among all first basemen with at least 350 plate appearances. Ben Rice’s 71 wRC+ ranked fourth-worst for any first baseman with at least 170 plate appearances, while DJ LeMahieu’s 62 wRC+ was the sixth-worst for anyone with at least 80 plate appearances. First base is typically one of the most productive offensive positions on any team, but the Yankees received virtually no offensive production there in 2024.
The Yankees also struggled defensively at first base, finishing tied for 18th in both Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and Outs Above Average (OAA), further highlighting the position’s struggles.
With the Yankees declining Rizzo’s $17 million club option at the start of the offseason, the only internal options left were Rice, LeMahieu, and utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera. Rice, who was learning first base on the fly, posted disappointing numbers. LeMahieu, once a cornerstone of the lineup, appears to no longer be an everyday player. Cabrera, while valuable for his positional flexibility, is not a solution at first base.
Rice’s surface-level numbers (.171/.264/.349, seven home runs, 27 percent strikeout rate) were underwhelming, but he should not be written off. His underlying metrics suggest he has the potential to become a quality hitter with more playing time. Rice posted an impressive 15.6 percent barrel rate, a low 20.6 percent chase rate, and an 11.2 percent walk rate — elite numbers, especially for a player with limited big-league experience. Additionally, his .186 BABIP was the second-lowest among all players with at least 170 plate appearances, indicating he was unlucky in terms of batted-ball outcomes.
Rice showed he could hit the ball hard, and with more consistent opportunities, he could emerge as a valuable contributor. Goldschmidt struggled against right-handed pitching in 2024; perhaps platooning the left-handed hitting Rice with Goldschmidt could be a possibility. Goldschmidt had an .865 OPS against left-handed pitchers in 2024.
With the Yankees signing Goldschmidt, it’s clear that Cody Bellinger will likely man either left or center field, with Jasson Domínguez as the frontrunner for one of the other spots and Aaron Judge returning to right field.
(Top photo of Goldschmidt: John Fisher/Getty Images)
