Paul Goldschmidt Signs One-Year Deal With Yankees
Updated Post, 13:11 —
Paul Goldschmidt has signed a one-year, $12.5 million contract with the Yankees, according to Jack Curry of YES network.
Goldschmidt, 37, is coming off a down year with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he slashed .245/.302/.414. His OPS dropped from .810 to .716 in one season.
Still, Goldschmidt is two years removed from a National League MVP-winning season in 2022, where he clubbed 35 homers and put up a league-leading .981 OPS.
With the signing, the Yankees are hoping to strike gold with a stopgap season with Goldschmidt. The four-time Silver Slug Award winner was much better in the second half of ’24, posting a .271/.319/.480 slash line with nine homers. Goldschmidt’s road slugging percentage (.448) and OPS (.774) were also significantly better than his home numbers (.378 and .654).
Goldschmidt also improves the Yankees infield defense. The Delaware native has four gold gloves in his career and posted a neutral zero outs above average.
With the signing, another first baseman falls off the board for the Mets. They were reportedly interested in Christian Walker and Goldschmidt, but now both are off the board.
The signing also takes the Yankees out of the Pete Alonso sweepstakes, who remains a free agent.
Original Post
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Friday that the Mets have engaged in discussions with Paul Goldschmidt. This comes on the heels of Christian Walker agreeing to a three-year, $60 million contract with the Houston Astros. Nightengale added that the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals are also interested in Goldschmidt. As Steve Cohen said recently, the Mets are still engaged with Pete Alonso.
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
A seven-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover and five-time Silver Slugger, Goldschmidt won National League MVP honors in 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals but has seen his performance decline significantly over the past two seasons. 2024 was the worst campaign of the 37-year-old’s career, batting .245/.302/.414 (100 wRC+) with 22 homers and 1.1 fWAR over 654 plate appearances. Goldschmidt’s strikeout rate also increased to a career-worst 26.5%, and his walk rate decreased to a career-low 7.2%.
Goldschmidt’s bat showed some encouraging signs in the second half, however, as he posted a .271/.319/.480 slash line over 250 plate appearances, compared to his .230/.291/.373 line from the first half. He also hit well against southpaws, batting .295/.366/.473 in 167 plate appearances.
Defensively, Goldschmidt graded out as a league-average first baseman, with 0 DRS and 0 OAA. MLB Trade Rumors projects him to receive a one-year deal worth $15 million.
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