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Paul Goldschmidt signs one-year deal with Yankees

Matt Hanifan / MLB / December 21, 2024

Paul Goldschmidt signs one-year deal with Yankees

Free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal with the New York Yankees, YES Network Yankees insider Jack Curry first reported Saturday.

Paul Goldschmidt will sign a 1-year deal with the Yankees. The 37-year old has won 4 Gold Gloves and was the 2022 MVP. While he had a .716 OPS with 22 HRs & 65 RBI last year, he had solid numbers vs LHP and also performed better in the second half. Savvy, short-term signing.
— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) December 21, 2024

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a one-year, $12.5 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Goldschmidt adds a strong veteran bat to deepen the Yankees’ lineup. First on the news was @JackCurryYES.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2024

Goldschmidt, 37, is coming off arguably the worst season of his career. He slashed just .245/.302/.414 — all of which were career lows — with 22 home runs, 65 RBIs, 33 doubles and 11 stolen bases across 154 games.

Once being considered one of the best two-way first basemen in the sport, there’s been a dip in both his power and his glove. He’s not long removed from winning the NL MVP in St. Louis in 2022, but he’s now three years older while seeing a steady dip in chase, walk and barrel rate.

He now joins a more hitter-friendly environment in the Bronx, where he’s expected to platoon with southpaw 1B Ben Rice, who struggled mightily hitting left-handed pitchers last season. Goldschmidt, on the other hand, has always been able to crush lefties. He sports a career 1.009 OPS against that split, including a .839 OPS last season.

This is a decent buy-low for New York, who’s looking for any kind of offensive production they can get–especially at first base. If Goldschmidt can be anything better than Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu was at first base each of the last two years, it’s a huge plus.

But Father Time is undefeated. There is a world where Goldschmidt looks closer to his pre-2024 form, but it’s not something that should be counted at this stage of his career … yet.

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