New York Yankees First Baseman Bet on Himself Last Offseason and Won

The New York Yankees took a flyer over the offseason on an aging first baseman betting on himself and to this point is has paid off for both sides.

May 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) hits a three run home run during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Despite making the World Series last year, the New York Yankees had some areas in clear need of improvement over the offseason.

One of those areas was first base. The position was a revolving door in 2024, with four different players getting starts, and none of them performed well enough to make a positive impact. They combined to post a .619 OPS for the year, ranking dead last in all of MLB.

With general manager Brian Cashman setting out to improve the roster and make it much more well-rounded, the sheer lack of production made first base a high priority.

In the Midwest in 2024, resided an aging first baseman who seemed to be on the last legs of his career. Paul Goldschmidt was in the midst of his sixth season with the St. Louis Cardinals, and at the All-Star break, it was shaping up to be the worst year of his long and storied career.

Through 92 games in the first half, Goldschmidt batted .230/.291/.373 with 13 home runs and 37 RBI. It was a contract year for the veteran, and he was doing little to nothing to raise his value before hitting the open market.

That did not keep Goldschmidt from betting on himself in the offseason, or Cashman from taking a flyer on the aging veteran. On Dec. 21, the Yankees and Goldschmidt agreed to a one-year, $12.5 million contract, officially making the veteran the starting first baseman in the Bronx.

What has he done to this point in 2025? Nothing but rake. Goldy enters Sunday with a .349/.394/.484 line with three home runs, 16 RBI, and a 152 OPS+ across 138 plate appearances in 33 games. His .878 OPS ranks fifth among all qualifying first basemen in MLB, and he is tied for second among all players with 44 hits.

New York holds the top spot in the American League East, two games ahead of the Boston Red Sox at the time of writing. While most of the praise for the season so far has been heaped on Aaron Judge, and rightfully so, Goldschmidt certainly deserves his flowers for making a bet on himself in the offseason, and it's paying off in spades.

Between what Judge is doing to this point in the year and the assistance he has gotten from Goldschmidt, the 2025 season is only looking up. It will be a fun summer in the Bronx, and it could see Goldschmidt make a deeper run in the postseason than he ever has before in his career.