Say what you will about the New York Yankees’ offseason, but you’ve got to hand it to them for keeping up the bit.
Outside of trading for left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers, every significant “acquisition” the Yankees have made has been re-signing one of their own players. In particular, they seemed intent on running back the exact same lineup that led the majors in home runs and OPS, but faded in the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
On Friday, New York completed the lineup puzzle. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Yankees and seven-time All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt were finalizing a one-year deal. The 38-year-old will likely play more of the platoon role he had in the second half of the season, when Ben Rice was starting at first base against right-handed pitching, than the role he had in the first half, when designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton was on the injured list.
Goldschmidt’s return ensures that, barring any unforeseen trades, the Yankees will retain the 11 position players with the most plate appearances from last season. The three position players they signed as major league free agents — Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Goldschmidt — finished second, fourth, and fifth in plate appearances on the roster, respectively.
In 146 games, Goldschmidt slashed .274/.328/.403 with 10 home runs, 31 doubles, and 45 RBIs. He was red-hot for the first two months of the season, but after entering play on June 1 with an OPS of .889, his OPS dropped to .610 in the remaining 89 games.
The role Goldschmidt will be asked to play, however, is that of lefty-masher. He was excellent at that all year, with a .981 OPS and seven of his 10 home runs in less than a third of his total plate appearances.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman have been consistent about loving last year’s group, and believing that it was championship-viable right up until the loss to the Blue Jays. Bringing back Goldschmidt was the final test of fealty to that principle, and now we’ll get to watch the experiment unfold.
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