Paul Goldschmidt is now a New York Yankee, making it the second MVP signed to the New York Yankees this off-season. With Christian Walker off the board, the Yankees needed an infielder. While guys like Pete Alonso, Anthony Rizzo, and Nathaniel Lowe were still available, the Yankees opted for Goldschmidt on a one-year $12.5 million contract. Goldschmidt now joins Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton as the fourth former MVP in the New York Yankees clubhouse.
With age being the biggest concern, many wonder how Goldschmidt can fit onto a Yankees team with an infield of generally young guys. Goldschmidt’s career is nothing to scoff at, as he’s a four-time Gold Glove winner, former MVP, seven-time All-Star, and five-time Silver Slugger. Goldschmidt’s veteran experience can help, especially on the defensive side, as Goldschmidt is a four-time Gold Glove winner.
The Yankees have been trying to emphasize their defense this off-season by acquiring Cody Bellinger, a former Gold Glove winner, and now the addition of Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt has a career batting average of .289 and 362 home runs and recently acquired his first MVP award in 2022. While these numbers are great on paper, his recent numbers show that Goldschmidt may be entering his twilight years.
Goldschmidt will be joining the Bronx Bombers during his 15th year in his career, and at age 37, he’s not getting any younger. Yankees fans can hope he can have a bounce-back year and have a season similar to his 2022 MVP season, where he slashed .317/.404/.578 on 178 hits and 35 home runs in 151 games played. In his last season, Goldschmidt suffered a slump where he had 22 home runs and 147 hits in 154 games while slashing .245/.302/.414.
While it may not look like a good 2025 season for the guy who has made the case as a future hall of famer, it is a bargain deal for the Yankees, and Goldschmidt’s experience and being around younger talent could give him a boost for a bounce back year and also throw in some veteran advice to the younger Yankees in the clubhouse.
As the offseason continues, Brian Cashman has created a more balanced Yankees squad with the original budget for Juan Soto. Notably, a familiar pattern for years regarding acquiring new players in the Bronx has existed for years.
From obtaining Alex Rodriguez in 2004 to Ichiro Suzuki in 2012, Giancarlo Stanton in 2017, Josh Donaldson in 2022, and now with Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger, it seems that Cashman has an affinity with acquiring former MVPs.
While these players have excellent name value and drive up interest for Yankees fans, some of these former MVPs did not play their best brand of baseball while wearing the pinstripes. Donaldson and Ichiro were great additions on paper but didn’t perform close to their MVP numbers.
Ichiro had a batting average of .322 and 73 hits in 67 games when traded to the Yankees in 2012. In 2013 and a full season under his belt, Ichiro had 136 hits in 143 games. He was also a solid outfielder, and while these are decent hitting numbers, they’re far and far away from the 200-plus hits he had from 2001 to 2010 as Ichiro was in his late 30s during his Yankees tenure.
Donaldson was underwhelming to the point where he was considered one of the most hated Yankees players because he was an automatic out when he got to the plate. In his 2022 season, Donaldson slashed .222/.373/.469 with 15 home runs and 106 hits while also striking out 148 times. These are severely underwhelming compared to his MVP numbers in 2016 (.284/.404.549, 37 home runs, 164 hits).
Whether or not Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt will perform to their former MVP levels will remain to be seen, but they seem to be a toss-up. Goldschmidt appears to be the most worrying case, entering age 37 in 2025, and he could be another Josh Donaldson case. Still, the $12.5 million deal can assure Yankees fans that Goldschmidt is not here for the long run and that they could hopefully sign another first baseman for a long-term contract during the 2025 offseason.
Cashman and the remaining Yankees can only hope that Goldschmidt and Bellinger can play somewhat close to their former MVP levels and will be on the upside in 2025. Only time will tell if their veteran experience will help lead New York back to the World Series.
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