The Yankees officially announced the signing of to a one-year contract. The Ben Chiarot Jersey Excel Sports Management client is reportedly guaranteed $12.5MM. Nightengale the Yankees pursuit of Goldschmidt this week as aggre sive, though he they were also in talks with before he . was another first baseman New York reportedly considered. The Yankees had also been linked to earlier in the offseason, but reported that they were increasingly likely to opt for a le s expensive first base signing. Indeed, Goldschmidts $12.5MM salary is well below the three-year, $60MM guarantee Walker received from Houston and the five-year, $125MM deal MLBTR predicted for Alonso. Its also below the one-year, $15MM pact we predicted for Goldschmidt when we ranked him at no. 35 on our . Goldschmidt, 37, was a free agent for the first time in his career. Drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2009, he made his big league debut with Arizona in 2011. After a strong start to his MLB career, he signed an extension with the D-backs that kept him under team control through the 2019 season. Upon being traded to the Cardinals in 2019, he signed another extension that ran through 2024. Through those years with Arizona and St. Louis, Goldschmidt was one of the best players in baseball. He made seven All-Star teams, won five Silver Sluggers, and earned NL MVP honors in 2022. Over 1928 career games, he has slashed .289/.381/.510 with 362 home runs and a 139 wRC+. Since his MVP season in 2022, Goldschmidt has taken a few steps back. His .810 OPS and 122 wRC+ in 2023 were more good than great, while his .716 OPS and 100 wRC+ in 2024 were merely league average. Thats not an encouraging trend for a first baseman entering his late thirties. However, Goldschmidts underlying numbers in 2024 offer a little more promise. His .308 batting average on balls in play was well below his career average of .343. Similarly, his .310 wOBA was noticeably worse than his .329 xwOBA. A .329 wOBA still would have been the worst of his career, but it also would have been significantly better than league average. Finally, Goldschmidts second-half performance was vastly superior to his first-half effort. Through the All-Star break, he was slashing .230/.291/.373 with an 87 wRC+. From the break onward, he hit .271/.319/.480 with a 120 wRC+. The Yankees are surely hoping Goldschmidt looks like his second-half self throughout the 2025 season. However, even his mediocre full-season numbers would be a big upgrade over what the Yankees got from their first basemen in 2024. Yankees first basemen ranked last in MLB in OPS (.619), second-to-last in wRC+ (76), and 26th in FanGraphs WAR (-1.1). If Goldschmidt can simply repeat his 2024 campaign, the Yankees would get a big boost over the combination of , , and . That will be especially true against left-handed pitching. Goldschmidt slashed .295/.366/.473 with a 134 wRC+ against lefties this past season. Meanwhile, New Yorks offense was significantly worse against lefties than righties. Goldschmidt should be a big help in that department. On the defensive side, Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glove winner, will undoubtedly play first base for the Yankees. That will push recent trade acquisition into the outfield. It always seemed likely that Bellinger would play the outfield in New York, but manager Aaron Boone suggested that first base was still an option. Its safe to say that option is now off the table. If the Yankees are still looking to add another bat, third base could be the next avenue they turn to for improvement. took over at the hot corner after the trade deadline in 2024, but second base is his natural position. By sliding back to second, he could give the Yankees more flexibility to seek an upgrade in the infield. Some intriguing options at third base include free agent and trade candidate . The Yankees have already expre sed interest in . Adding either Bregman or Arenado would likely push the teams payroll above last years final estimate of $303MM (per ). It would also put them above the highest tier of the luxury tax once again. Although it wouldnt be surprising to see the Yankees run such a high payroll in 2025, its worth keeping in mind that even the Steinbrenners have their spending limits. Chairman Hal Steinbrenner said that the teams current payroll is simply not sustainable for us financially. The fact that the Yankees were outbid for and that they were seeking a le s expensive first baseman like Goldschmidt further suggests that GM Brian Cashman is working under payroll constraints. Those constraints could impact how the team operates for the rest of the offseason. first reported the Yankees and Goldschmidt had agreed to a one-year deal. was first on the salary. Image courtesy of Imagn. Johan Franzen Jersey