First base was a disaster for the New York Yankees in 2024, and after declining Anthony Rizzo’s $17 million club option for the 2025 season, it’s clear that they’ll have to add some help at the position. While Pete Alonso is the shiny star that would grab every headline, I would argue he’s the one player that Brian Cashman should avoid on the high-end of the free agent market. There aren’t many excellent first basemen on the free agent market, but there are some solid players who would certainly help boost this offense and give them a steady glove as well.
Looking at three different players at three different price points, there are plenty of lanes for the Yankees to add a first baseman via free agency if they don’t love the options on the trade market.
Could the Yankees Take A Flier on Future Hall of Famer?
If the Yankees re-sign Juan Soto and invest in their infield and bullpen, going cheap at first base wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario. While I would prefer Hal Steinbrenner to go out and acquire the top player on the market at key position groups, I also understand that he will have financial limits. Paul Goldschmidt hit 22 home runs with a 100 wRC+ in his age 36 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, who seem uninterested in bringing him back as their first baseman.
There are a few reasons to believe that Paul Goldschmidt could be a competent offensive player in 2025 despite his age, most notably due to how unfriendly Busch Stadium is to his batted ball profile and swing. He posted an 85 wRC+ and .155 ISO at home while posting a 113 wRC+ and .182 ISO on the road, and Statcast backs the notion that Goldschmidt would perform better if his home games were played at Yankee Stadium versus Busch Stadium.
Paul Goldschmidt would have had 25 home runs had he played all of his games at Yankee Stadium, as a lot of his opposite-field contact would go into the short porch in right field instead of a fielder’s glove.
With a .429 xwOBACON and .333 xwOBA, Paul Goldschmidt still has the qualities of an above-average hitter, and his defensive abilities are roughly average at this point, which the Yankees would take. Even if Goldschmidt proves not to be a full-time starter throughout the season, he still has utility as a lefty masher, which would platoon well with someone like Ben Rice who I would reasonably expect to perform well against right-handed pitching.
Goldschmidt posted a 134 wRC+ and .838 OPS against LHP this season, striking out just 16.8% of the time in those matchups. If he ends up signing for under $10 million, I would show some interest and see if that’s a flier that could result in above-average production at a position where the Yankees were abysmal in 2024.
If the Yankees had the 100 wRC+ and 1.1 fWAR that Paul Goldschmidt provided last year over whatever they had at first base, would they be World Series Champions?
The Yankees Might Be Best-Suited With Switch-Hitting Veteran
Carlos Santana will be a popular name for the Yankees in free agency thanks to his blend of power, contact, and plate discipline. He posted a 114 wRC+ last season with 23 home runs, playing excellent defense at first base with +11 Fielding Run Value and +14 Outs Above Average. While the switch-hitting infielder will turn 39 years old next season, there’s still reason to believe he can contribute on the plate in 2025.
The Yankees could use someone who can provide value on both sides of the ball, and Santana would fit into the dimensions of Yankee Stadium nicely. He would have had two more home runs had he played all of his games in the Bronx, and his swing has always been built to get the ball out in this ballpark. Furthermore, he likely wouldn’t cost much in free agency either, and he too does serious damage against left-handed pitching.
If Santana can at least crush left-handed pitching the Yankees should benefit greatly from having him on the roster, and they would get some lineup depth that can use the longball but also pass the baton with a walk. There’s reason to be concerned about adding someone in their late 30s to your roster, but since he would come at a low cost and likely would only get a one-year deal, it’s easy to see how Carlos Santana could be moved into a platoon role if things went south.
From a clubhouse standpoint, I think there are some serious benefits to having someone like Carlos Santana on the roster, as he brings a strong leadership presence. He sparked the Seattle Mariners’ run to the postseason in 2022, starting their victory dance tradition that has continued into the 2024 season. Back in 2018, he smashed a TV because his teammates in Philly were playing Fortnite during a game, this is the kind of guy you want on your side.
That being said, being a good player is the most important variable here, and I think Carlos Santana has enough in the tank to make sure his impact on the field matches the one he could have in the clubhouse.
Going For the Best First Baseman on the Market
Over the last three seasons, you’d be hard-pressed to find a metric that Christian Walker isn’t in the top five for among first basemen. He’s tied for 5th in fWAR (10.8), 3rd in home runs (95), 1st in Fielding Run Value (29) since 2022, and he’s going to be a hot commodity in free agency. The Yankees hit plenty of home runs last season, but they had zero power at the first base position, with a 76 wRC+ and .119 ISO out of that group in 2024.
They need someone who can deliver the longball and do so consistently, making Christian Walker a perfect fit for the Bronx Bombers. He posted a .428 xwOBACON in 2024 with a 13.3% Barrel Rate, crushing baseballs into orbit and finishing his season with 26 home runs in just 130 games. He would have had three straight seasons with 30+ homers if not for a mid-season injury, and his power could give the Yankees the best lineup in the game.
As for what a potential contract would look like, I think Anthony Rizzo and Jose Abreu back in 2022 provided a salary range we can expect.
READ MORE: Yankees decline vetertan infielder’s $17 million 2025 club optoin
Anthony Rizzo had a $17 million AAV for the 2023 and 2024 seasons with a $17 million club option for 2025 that the Yankees declined, converting it into a $6 million buyout. He was guaranteed $40 million for two seasons after posting a 2.5 fWAR in 130 games in his age 32 season, whereas Jose Abreu was guranteed $58.5 million over three seasons after his age 35 season where he posted a 3.8 fWAR in 157 games.
I could see the Yankees offering a deal similar to what the Astros gave Abreu, and while there’s a risk for that third year to end up in disaster, it’s a risk worth taking in my eyes. This is a pristine first baseman, someone who can win a Gold Glove and also hit 30 home runs as your clean-up hitter in a single season. With Giancarlo Stanton only being another year older, the Yankees’ second righty masher is up in the air, and Walker would give them some insurance.
If they sign Juan Soto as well, they could end up with a Soto-Judge-Stanton-Chisholm-Walker middle of the order, with a combined 176 home runs between the five of them.