Feb 07, 2026
3 min read
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt is finalizing a one-year deal to return to the Yankees, sources told Jeff Passan on Friday.
First baseman Paul Goldsmith and the New York Yankees are finalizing a one-year deal, sources told Jeff Passon on Friday, with the two sides coming together after one season.
Goldschmidt, 38, is expected to support Ben Rice at first base and primarily start games with left-handed pitchers.The seven-time All-Star finished .274/.328/.403 in 146 games with a strong split last season, posting a .981 OPS in 168 plate appearances against lefties and a .619 OPS in 366 plate appearances against righties.
Goldschmidt will be the sixth player the Yankees re-sign, joining Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Amed Rosario, Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn from last season's team.New York has yet to sign a free agent to a major league contract from another club.Other moves include acquiring left-hander Ryan Weathers and selecting right-hander Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 draft.
Goldschmidt begins 2025 as the Yankees' first baseman after signing a one-year, $12 million contract as part of a recovery plan after the team lost Juan Soto to the Mets.
By midseason, however, he was in a platoon role in the second half, with Rice breaking through in his second season starting against right-handed pitchers.
Goldschmidt finished the season with a 169 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) against lefties, good for fourth in the majors.But his 74 wRC+ against righties was tied for 148th out of 155 players.Seven of his 10 home runs have come against lefties.
The Yankees is blessed and players in Goldschmidt for his skill; he was always blessed for her lead and his team.Goldschmidt, 10 MVP high six time with st.Louis cardinals and Arizona Diamondbicks, Rice with Rice in the first place and provide advice in the status of Rookie 2024.
The Yankees entered the postseason with a timeshare, but Goldschmidt was moved to the reserve after Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox.He came off the bench in four of the next five games and didn't start again until Game 4 of the ALDS, when the Yankees were eliminated in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Goldschmidt, the 2022 National League MVP who posted career highs in batting average (.245), on-base percentage (.302), slugging percentage (.414) and OPS (.716) with the Cardinals in 2024, comes to New York.
His first year in the Bronx was good enough for the Yankees to bring him back in a reduced role for his 16th major league season.
As it stands, the Yankees have five options for four bench spots with less than a week left in spring training: Goldschmidt, catcher JC Escarra, outfielder Jason Domingos, and utility men Rosario and Osvaldo Cabrera.
