Alexander Wilson
Paul Goldschmidt did not sound like a guy trying to sell anybody on a quick fix after Tuesday’s 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay.
He is now 0-for-30 across his last nine games, and the Yankees watched him strike out four times on a night when they needed a veteran at-bat badly. Goldschmidt told the New York Post, “I wish I had an answer,” which is about as honest as it gets.
The hard part for Aaron Boone is that this is not some random bench bat. Goldschmidt still owns a .324 xwOBA with an 11.7 percent barrel rate, but the recent version is giving the Yankees almost nothing while Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are unavailable.
Yankees cannot keep waiting forever
Goldschmidt opened the year like a steal. He was hitting .301 with a .933 OPS through his first 55 games, and the Yankees could live with the age risk because the production was loud enough.
Now the bat looks late, the offense is starving for contact, and the timing could not be worse. The Yankees have struck out 34 times over two games against the Rays, which is a franchise record for a two-game stretch. They are also trying to keep Tampa Bay from turning the division race into a long July headache.
I would not bench Goldschmidt for a week just to prove a point. That does not help anybody. The better move is trimming the automatic trust. If the Yankees are facing a tough righty and need more bat speed, Boone has to be willing to look elsewhere earlier.
Paul Goldschmidt changes the Yankees deadline talk
This also feeds straight into the trade deadline. If Goldschmidt were rolling, the Yankees could argue first base and DH are covered once the injured stars return. Right now, that sounds too comfortable.
Ben Rice can handle more at first. Cody Bellinger can move around. The Yankees can mix and match, but a 38-year-old in a 0-for-30 skid makes the front office think harder about another bat.
Goldschmidt has earned patience across a long career. The Yankees have earned the right to be practical, because the division is not waiting for him to feel right again.
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