The New York Yankees came into the offseason with a need at first base. They tried to sign Christian Walker, but a potential deal fell through before he later signed with the Houston Astros. Despite trading for Cody Bellinger, they intend on playing him in the outfield, making first base a big priority still.
The Yankees signed Paul Goldschmidt before top options came off the board
They went for the cheaper veteran in Paul Goldschmidt, who has the potential to be a great value signing after inking a one-year, $12.5 million deal with New York. After that, the domino effect began to commence, as top first base targets quickly fell off the board with Carlos Santana going to the Guardians on a one-year deal, Josh Naylor being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Nathaniel Lowe being traded to the Washington Nationals.
The Yankees had been pursuing some of those top options prior to signing Goldschmidt, and they may have secured the best one available at an affordable price.
Goldschmidt is an aging veteran at 37 years old, but he has shown that he can still be a capable middle-of-the-order bet. He had a down season last year with the Cardinals but had a much better second half, as he hit .271 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs after the All-Star break.
Goldschmidt is a huge upgrade at first base for the Yankees
The 2022 NL MVP is also an instant upgrade at first base over what they had last year. The group of Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu, Ben Rice, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Jon Berti produced very little at the position last season. Goldschmidt immediately gives them a better offensive threat there.
While bringing in an older player who is well past his prime comes with a big risk, the Yankees have done their due diligence by pursuing the most realistic options that are considerable upgrades over what they had the previous season.
The Yankees are likely not done adding bats, as there is still a hole in the infield for them. They have expressed great interest in signing free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, and Nolan Arenado is also a trade candidate for them.
After a brief freeze in the market, it has started to heat up again as the calendar year draws to a close. How the Yankees will navigate their remaining needs the rest of the offseason is to be determined.
