Why Paul Goldschmidt Could Bounce-Back For Yankees

There are some clear reasons why New York Yankees fans can expect success from Paul Goldschmidt in 2025.

Aug 12, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) at bat in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

On December 21, the New York Yankees signed former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million deal.

This signing was crucial because the Yankees were in the market for a first baseman after they declined the team option on former first baseman Anthony Rizzo. And given that Goldschmidt is just a few years removed from winning an MVP award, the fact that New York got him for $12.5 million seems like a massive bargain.

However, this price was owed to the sub-par season Goldschmidt experienced with St. Louis in 2024, as he hit .245 with a .716 OPS, 22 home runs, and 65 RBIs.

But a January 17 article from Dan Martin of the New York Post conveyed why Goldschmidt could be poised for a serious bounce-back season in his first year with the Yankees.

“Over the last six weeks of the season, he got back to simplifying things,” Turner Ward, Goldschmidt's hitting coach across previous three seasons in St. Louis, said to Martin by phone, which was quoted in the article.

“Hitting off a tee and things like that. Over the course of last season, his swing got out of sequence and he tried to do too much. Personally, I have no doubt he can get back to being the hitter he’s been," Ward added to Martin.

“What’s really gonna help is he’s a guy that makes everyone around him better and they’ll make him better,” Ward said when discussing how Goldschmidt will benefit the Yankees. “He encourages everyone and he’ll be the one when guys are struggling that will be the voice of reason. What he went through this past year probably magnified that.” 

The article concluded with Ward saying, “Personally, I have no doubt,” about Goldschmidt returning to form in 2025. “I saw what he did last year and told him that I played with Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield, Hall of Fame guys that played into their 40s. He’s so tough, fit and mentally strong, I told him he could do the same thing if he wants to.” 

Signs point to potential Paul Goldschmidt rebound with Yankees after rough 2024 https://t.co/BBLwMCMYhZ pic.twitter.com/5uJYgY9QrF

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) January 18, 2025

If Goldschmidt looks like the player he has been for almost his entire career in 2025, the Yankees made a fantastic signing that will help them make up for the absence of Juan Soto.