MLB Insider Shares Candid Thoughts on New York Yankees Questionable Upgrade

An MLB analyst graded how the New York Yankees did upgrading what was one of the least-productive positional groups in baseball last year.

Mar 10, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) hits a home run against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. / Dave Nelson-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees had a few pressing needs that had to be addressed this offseason with so many players hitting free agency.

Four players who were in the starting lineup during their run to the World Series last year, right fielder Juan Soto, second baseman Gleyber Torres, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and left fielder Alex Verdugo, all went to the market.

That created some voids in the lineup that had to be filled, as Soto and Torres both departed, agreeing to deals with the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers.

Rizzo and Verdugo remain available to be signed, but the Yankees have moved on, for now.

Top prospect Jasson Dominguez is taking over in left field and former MVP Paul Goldschmidt was signed to become their new starting first baseman.

While many people would think the most important move for the franchise this offseason was figuring out to replace Soto, it was actually finding a replacement at first base, where the Yankees were the least productive team in baseball in 2024.

As shared by Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, New York had the lowest OPS+ at first base last year with a 69; 100 is considered average.

Rizzo, Ben Rice and others combined for a paltry .216/.284/.335 slash line, with the .619 OPS being the second lowest produced by the position over the last 110 years in franchise history. 1982 was the only year the first basemen produced a lower number.

The lack of power from the position was incredibly concerning, as no one playing first base hit a home run for the team after July 31.

It will be up to Goldschmidt to help turn things around, and there is certainly reason to be optimistic that he will be able to do so.

He got off to an incredibly slow start in the first half, but finished strongly. In the second half across 250 plate appearances he had a .271/.319/.480 slash line with nine home runs, 19 doubles and 28 RBI.

That is a major reason why Verducci gave the club a “B” when grading how they went about upgrading the position. But, there are some concerns for a player who is 37 years old nearing the end of their career.

“The bad news: last season Goldschmidt had career highs in chase percentage, swing percentage and pull percentage, indicating a lack of trust in his approach. The right field porch at Yankee Stadium should encourage a return to driving the ball other way,” Verducci wrote.

Taking advantage of the dimensions at his new home field would be smart, as powerful right-handed hitters can still benefit despite it not being their pull swing.

If the spring is any indication of things to come, the “B” grade Verducci handed out is going to be viewed as too low.

Through 34 Grapegruit League plate appearances, Goldschmidt has a .323/.382/.710 slash line with three home runs and three doubles, recording 10 RBI.

The only potential issue is the strikeouts. His 29.4% strikeout rate is a concern, especially when combined with his walk rate also being below his career norm, hinting the chase rate increase he showed in 2024 may not be going away in 2025.

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