The New York Yankees are bringing back Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year contract according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, adding another right-handed bat to their bench.
Goldschmidt had a 103 wRC+ last season with 10 HRs, but excelled in matchups versus lefties where he hit over .300 and had an OPS over .900.
His defense at first base and veteran mentorship over Ben Rice are things the Yankees valued, and the two sides have come together on a reunion to improve the lineup against lefties.
It was announced last night that he would be playing for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, and now he’ll be playing on the New York Yankees for a second-straight season.
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Paul Goldschmidt Returns to the Yankees, Offense vs Lefties Improves
The Yankees were searching for a right-handed bench bat who could either play the outfield or some first base, and they settled on a return of Paul Goldschmidt.
A right-handed hitter who crushes left-handed pitching, Goldschmidt fills a need for that bench and could allow the team to run some creative lineups against southpaws.
One alignment that could occur is having Ben Rice at catcher and Paul Goldschmidt at first base against a tough lefty, which would improve the offensive ceiling and floor of this group.
Last year only three hitters had a higher OPS against lefties among those who qualified, as he hits the ball hard and makes plenty of contact in these matchups.
Jeff Passan was first on the news, and now the Yankees are officially running back the exact same offense they had from the American League Division Series from last year.
Aaron Boone spoke about how highly he thought of this roster, and the front office’s actions align with that mentality that the 2025 Yankees had a strong roster that could compete for a World Series.
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