Inside The Cardinals

Aaron Judge Revealed Yankees’ Pitch To Cardinals Legend

The Yankees star opened up about the former Cardinal...
Patrick McAvoy|
Jun 4, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) prepares to take the field after be stranded on base in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Jun 4, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) prepares to take the field after be stranded on base in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsNew York Yankees

The New York Yankees landed a former St. Louis Cardinals superstar this offseason.

St. Louis decided to move on from first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. It wasn't too shocknig of a move. He was with the organization for six years and quickly became one of the best first basemen in team history. He even took home the 2022 National League Most Valuable Player Award to help solidify this fact.

Goldschmidt had an up-and-down 2024 season, though, and the team went in a different direction as it tried to trim down salaries. New York picked him up and he's looked like a completely new man. So far this season, he's slashing .323/.380/.471 with six home runs and 28 games in 60 games played. Last year he finished the season with 1.3 wins above replacement in 154 games and he's already at 1.7 now.

So, what was the Yankees' pitch to bring him to town?

New York superstar Aaron Judge revealed his pitch to Goldschmidt to USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale.

"I remember shooting him the message," Judge said. "'Hey man, we got a little vacancy at first base. I think you’d fit in perfect. This is the type of culture and environment I think you were born for.'

"The one thing I try to tell a lot of the guys who come here, even if they were on other teams before, they were meant to be a Yankee. Paul Goldschmidt was meant to be a Yankee."

Things certainly have worked out.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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