NEW YORK — The Yankees have been saying all offseason that they plan to run it back. On Friday night, they proved it one more time.
Paul Goldschmidt is returning to the Bronx. The seven-time All-Star and 2022 National League MVP agreed to a one-year contract with the Yankees, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. ESPN first reported the deal.
But this is not the same arrangement Goldschmidt had last year. Not even close. The salary, the role and the expectations have all changed. And for a player with 372 career home runs, 2,190 hits and 57.3 career fWAR, the fine print on this contract tells a very different story than the one he wrote for most of his 15-year MLB career.
The numbers that made this a complicated decision
Goldschmidt’s 2025 season was a tale of two halves, and the split was dramatic. Through the end of May, he hit .338/.394/.495 with six home runs. From June through the end of the regular season, that plummeted to .226/.277/.333.
His overall line of .274/.328/.403 with 10 home runs in 146 games was a tick above league average. But the splits by handedness are what defined his season and shaped his future.
Against left-handed pitching, Goldschmidt was elite. He posted a .336/.411/.570 slash with a .981 OPS and a 169 wRC+. That .336 average ranked eighth in all of MLB against southpaws. Seven of his 10 home runs came from the left side of the matchup.
Against right-handers, the picture was grim. He hit .247/.289/.329 with a 74 wRC+. That placed him in the bottom 30 among qualified MLB hitters. His plate appearance totals dropped in every month as the season went on. By October, he started just two of the Yankees’ seven postseason games.
The four-time Gold Glove winner also took a step back defensively, finishing with minus-3 Outs Above Average according to Baseball Savant.
Rice’s breakout changed the equation
The biggest reason Goldschmidt’s role shrank last year was the rise of Ben Rice. The left-handed hitting first baseman, who came up through the Yankees system as a catcher, broke out in his first full big league season. Rice hit .255/.337/.499 with 26 home runs across 530 plate appearances.
Rice is now the undisputed starter at first base. The Yankees view him as a core piece going forward. And Goldschmidt, to his credit, played a significant role in that development. He mentored the 26-year-old on the finer points of playing first base, a position Rice was still learning on the job.
That mentorship was part of what made Goldschmidt’s presence so valued beyond the stat line. The Yankees are betting it continues in 2026.
There is one area where Rice could use the help. Against left-handed pitching, Rice had seven home runs but hit just .208 with a .271 on-base percentage in 119 plate appearances. Goldschmidt stepping in for those matchups gives the Yankees a meaningful upgrade on the days Rice sits.
A steep pay cut and a smaller role
Goldschmidt earned $12.5 million last season after signing his first one-year deal with the Yankees in December 2024. This time, the salary was agreed at $4 million, about a third of what he earned in 2025.
He reportedly turned down more money from other teams to stay in pinstripes. The Padres were among the finalists, and a reunion with the Diamondbacks made sense on paper until Arizona signed Carlos Santana earlier this week.
But Goldschmidt chose the Bronx anyway. That says something about how much the clubhouse meant to him. It also says something about the reality of being 38 years old in a sport that moves on quickly.
The role this time is clear. Goldschmidt is ticketed for a short-side platoon at first base. Ben Rice is the everyday starter. Goldschmidt will pick up starts against left-handed pitching and serve as a defensive replacement and insurance option in case Giancarlo Stanton misses time.
What this means for the bench and for Dominguez
Adding Goldschmidt fills one of the Yankees’ remaining roster needs. It also creates a squeeze.
The bench now projects to include Goldschmidt, utility man Amed Rosario, backup catcher J.C. Escarra and one remaining spot. That final seat comes down to Oswaldo Cabrera and Jasson Dominguez.
Both are switch-hitters. Both hit better from the left side. But Cabrera offers far more defensive versatility. He can play nearly every position on the diamond. With Anthony Volpe sidelined to start the season after offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Cabrera is the backup shortstop to Jose Caballero. That alone could tip the decision in his favor.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that Dominguez seems likely to be optioned to Triple-A to begin the season. Goldschmidt’s return makes that outcome even more probable.
Running it back, one piece at a time
Goldschmidt is now the sixth free agent the Yankees have re-signed this offseason. He joins Bellinger, Grisham, Rosario, Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn. The club also picked up a club option on left-handed reliever Tim Hill.
With this deal, 24 of the 26 players from the Yankees’ ALDS roster are back for 2026. The only departures are relievers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams. The message from the front office has been consistent all winter: this group, largely intact, is good enough to compete.
The Yankees tied for the American League lead with 94 wins in 2025. They lost the AL East to the Blue Jays on a tiebreaker and were bounced in the Division Series. The front office believes that getting Gerrit Cole back from Tommy John surgery by midseason, combined with a full year of production from their deadline acquisitions, will be enough to push them over the top.
Goldschmidt’s return will not move the needle on its own. He is 38. He is no longer an everyday player. His best days are behind him. But in a targeted platoon role, with a modest salary, and with the respect he commands inside the clubhouse, the Yankees believe the deal makes sense.
The caveats are real. The pay cut is steep. The playing time will be limited. And for a future Hall of Famer, the adjustment is significant. But Goldschmidt chose to come back anyway. And for a team built on familiar faces and a run-it-back philosophy, that might be exactly the kind of signing this offseason needed.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
