This offseason has frustrated fans because of the continuity that exists on the Yankees’ roster, especially on the offensive side, and that’s understandable.
Paul Goldschmidt returning seemed unlikely when the offseason began, especially with other teams such as the Diamondbacks potentially having interest in his services.
Jack Curry reported on YES Network that the Yankees have had discussions with Goldschmidt about returning him on a bench role where he’d backup Ben Rice and play vs LHP.
It seems a bit abnormal for the team to pursue a right-handed bat who can only play one position, but if the team takes full advantage of its roster flexibility, they could form a very strong offense for 2026.
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Paul Goldschmidt Adds A Needed Punch Against Left-Handed Pitching
The Yankees led baseball in runs scored and OPS last season after losing Juan Soto and having to scramble in order to assemble a roster with their Plan B.
A big reason for this was the improved bench depth that they had which allowed them to mix-and-match with the roster depending on the pitcher on the mound.
Following the trade deadline the Yankees led all of baseball in SLG% (.487) and wOBA (.352) against left-handed pitching, with expected stats backing up their excellent results.
Paul Goldschmidt was a big reason for that, and while his numbers after June against lefties were not great, the underlying data indicated that he was still an excellent matchup for those situations.
The OPS swung wildly from a red-hot start in the first two months of the season to a dip in June and another one in September, but this is where Expected OPS matters.
Wild swings in offensive production on a month-to-month basis when each month is about a 25-35 Plate Appearance sample size isn’t particularly surprising, but a consistent xOPS indicates that Goldy’s ‘decline’ was likely just noise.
Goldschmidt only plays first base so the only places you can slot him into are 1B or DH on the lineup card which are occupied by Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton, but there’s ways to make this work.
Having Rice catch against lefties to give Wells time off would open the door for Paul Goldschmidt at first base, creating a much stronger offense in those scenarios as you flip a left-handed catcher for a right-handed first baseman in the lineup.
This offense is very well-balanced in the scenario where they catch Rice against lefties and put Goldschmidt at first base, in fact it’s the kind of lineup that should content for the highest OPS against southpaws in the league.
An effective platoon at catcher and third base for the Yankees would not place an unreasonable amount of pressure on the bench, especially since Anthony Volpe’s return could keep Jose Caballero flexible.
Defensively, you’d like the final throw across the infield to go into Paul Goldschmidt’s glove; not Ben Rice’s.
I don’t want to sign Goldschmidt in order to ruin Rice’s development, but rather to protect the team in the scenario where he’s hurt, regresses against lefties, or doesn’t handle first base that well.
The Yankees Liked Their 2025 Offense; And They’re Probably Right
One of the biggest talking points used against the Yankees’ current roster is that the team would be running back the same offense that was defeated in the ALDS.
Good teams lose in the postseason, sometimes good teams get annihilated in the postseason, take the 2022 Dodgers who won 111 games and somehow lost three-straight to the Padres to get knocked out in the NLDS.
A great example of a team largely running it back would be…the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays who added Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman, Max Scherzer, Andres Gimenez, and Myles Straw whil subtracting Spencer Horwitz.
David Popkins was hired to get the once-prolific offense back on track, and the Blue Jays saw their win total improve significantly while all three of their notable offensive additions ran a sub-100 OPS+.
Toronto’s 11-point increase in wRC+ fueled a run to Game 7 of the World Series, all I’m hoping for is that the Yankees can be similar to what they were in 2025 offensively.
You might mock the Yankees for not factoring in their postseason outcome when projecting the future results of each player on the roster, but teams such as the Dodgers and Mets do the same thing.
Running it back isn’t some cheap option either, Hal is shelling out unprecedented money for this 2026 team because the front office truly believes in this offense to be versatile and dynamic in 2026.
Whether they live up to that acclaim or not remains to be seen, but Paul Goldschmidt off the bench is the kind of luxury add that the organization has often cheaped out on for previous teams.
I would rather see a right-handed hitting outfielder or catcher over someone who just plays first base, but if they can’t find a player who fits their price point or is willing to play an off-the-bench role, then I’ll take what I can get.
Last season we saw Oswaldo Cabrera start at third base and both Oswald Peraza and Pablo Reyes on the roster; I’ll take my worst position player when Opening Day rolls around being J.C. Escarra over that any day of the week.
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