The Free Agency Signing the Yankees Should Be Quietly Celebrating

It took some time, but this veteran's 2026 contract is slowly aging well.

Paul Goldschmidt's re-signing has played a key role in the Yankees' early success. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Yankees are solidifying themselves as the American League team to beat as May is firmly underway. An AL-best 23-11 record as of Monday afternoon has those around the Big Apple confident in the Yankees' World Series outlook. Certainly, general manager Brian Cashman deserves credit for this early success, as a good chunk of his offseason decisions are paying off in spades.

Trade acquisition Ryan Weather is cementing his starting rotation role, while re-signing Cody Bellinger is proving well worth the effort it took. Even the decision to start Jasson Domínguez in the minors paid off, as the "Martian" has looked more than comfortable at the plate since returning to the Majors last month.

Jasson Domínguez recorded hits from both sides of the plate in the same inning 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2IrfMGfYFi

— MLB (@MLB) May 3, 2026

The Yankees also re-signed Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year contract this winter, leaving some New York fans confused. While the former National League MVP is a well-respected veteran in the locker room, people wondered where Goldschmidt would fit in with Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton as the starting first baseman and designated hitter, respectively.

It's only taken about a month for Goldschmidt to erase any doubts surrounding his re-signing, proving that he should be among Cashman & Co.'s most celebrated 2026 offseason moves.

Paul Goldschmidt's re-signing has gone better than expected

Early in the season, it was fair to wonder why Goldschmidt was still around. Rice's strong start left the seven-time MLB All-Star without a path to consistent playing time, and it didn't help that Goldschmidt seemingly fumbled the first handful of opportunities he saw, proven by comparing his first name games in 2026 to the same stretch last season:

Statistic	First 9 games of 2026	First 9 games of 2025
Plate appearances	29	38
At-bats	24	34
Hits	3	11
Home runs	1	1
RBIs	3	3
Strikeouts	8	8
Walks	4	3
Batting average	.125	.324
On-base percentage	.276	.395
Slugging percentage	.333	.471

Obviously, Goldschmidt can only play as often as manager Aaron Boone deploys him. At the same time, the 38-year-old slugger's hit total was drastically lower this year despite only seeing 10 fewer at-bats compared to 2025. It was easy for Yankees fans to think about hitting the panic button.

Fortunately, Goldschmidt has turned a page in the last week or so. He's slashing .273/.333/.455 with a trio of hits (including two doubles), three RBIs and a walk in his last three games (11 ABs). It's a small sample size that shouldn't be overreacted to; however, a productive three-game hit streak is encouraging, showing he's hitting his stride when the Yankees need all the support they can get.

Paul Goldschmidt's bat is waking up at the right time for the Yankees. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Goldschmidt also has a 45% hard-hit rate, .345 expected batting average and 91 mph average exit velocity in the last three outings, per Baseball Savant. Although his HH% was higher in his first nine games (50%), the same can't be said about his xBA (.242) or EV (89.1 mph).

Let's hope that Goldschmidt's improved play will last throughout May and into the rest of the 2026 MLB season. In the meantime, he'll continue seeing opportunities to convince Boone & Co. that he deserves as many at-bats as possible.

Injuries to Yankees' sluggers could extend Goldschmidt's runway

After all, two of the Yankees' most important bats are banged-up at the moment. Rice sustained a left hand contusion on a field play during Sunday's win over the Orioles, forcing him to miss Monday's finale. He's "day-to-day" after the X-rays came back negative, according to the club, but that doesn't indicate when he'll be back full-time or account for any potential setbacks—especially when he can't swing properly.

Ben Rice said his hand is still sore. Doesn’t feel like he can get his A swing off yet. Doesn’t expect to do much today other than treatment. Paul Goldschmidt in at 1B #yankees

— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) May 4, 2026

Rice has been tremendous so far, leading the AL in runs scored (30) and batting average (.343) while pacing all of baseball in OBP (.455), SLG (.759), OPS (1.214) and OPS+ (232). He also has 12 HRs, 27 RBIs and 23 walks drawn. Goldschmidt, this far from his prime, likely won't replicate those results during Rice's absence, but his wealth of experience and rising momentum will help fill the void.

Ben Rice's absence—no matter how long it lasts—is Paul Goldschmidt's opportunity to earn more at-bats. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Even if Rice returns soon, Goldschmidt could share the DH role with Domínguez until Stanton is back.

The Yankees sent Stanton to the 10-day injured list last week (retroactive April 25) due to a left calf strain. YES Network's Meredith Marakovits reported on Saturday that the former All-Star Game MVP was working the batting cages and even got a pool workout in. Although that is a seemingly positive development, Stanton must show more on-field progress (base running, fielding) before he's given the green light.

Again, Goldschmidt isn't going to steal Stanton or Rice's jobs, as the Yankees are paying the duo far too much to leave their bats on the bench. At the same time, capitalizing on their absences will show Boone that he can play Goldschmidt with confidence, whether that's as a starter or pinch hitter during a crucial moment with the game on the line.

Off-field leadership and on-field results are two things that can keep a player firmly in his coach's good books. Goldschmidt is delivering on both in recent weeks, proving the Yankees made the right call to re-sign him in February (even if the move raised question marks at the time).