About an hour after the Yankees’ season got here to a sudden finish, Paul Goldschmidt didn’t have any concrete solutions about his future.
However the 38-year-old first baseman did acknowledge this:
“I think I’d like to continue playing,” Goldschmidt stated after the Yankees’ 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Sport 4 of the ALDS.
Goldschmidt is ready to turn out to be a free agent after spending the 2025 season, his first with the Yankees, on a one-year contract.
The seven-time All-Star batted .274 with 10 residence runs, 45 RBI and a .731 OPS in 145 video games, and he was a well-respected veteran inside the Yankees’ clubhouse.
However after a red-hot begin, Goldschmid’s manufacturing declined, and so did his enjoying time.
Goldschmidt batted .338 with an .889 OPS over the season’s first two months, then hit .226 with a .610 OPS from June 1 on.
By the top of the season, the righty-hitting Goldschmidt was a part of a full-blown platoon at first base, beginning primarily in opposition to left-handed pitching whereas the left-swinging Ben Rice performed in opposition to right-handers.
Rice began 5 of the Yankees’ seven playoff video games.
“Just being honest, this game’s pretty easy: Go out there and perform, you’re gonna play,” Goldschmidt stated.
“Guys on this team, especially in the second half, played better than me and got that opportunity, so there’s no excuses. I would have loved to play better. I gave it the best effort I could, but it’s no one’s fault but myself that I maybe didn’t play as much as I had earlier in my career.”
Even earlier than the Yankees signed Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million contract final winter, basic supervisor Brian Cashman raved concerning the offensive potential of a then-unproven Rice.
Rice, a transformed catcher who nonetheless sees time behind the plate, turned that potential into manufacturing this season, hitting .255 with 26 homers and a .836 OPS in 138 video games.
The 26-year-old’s numbers in opposition to lefties — he hit .208 with a .752 OPS — paled compared to his stats in opposition to righties, however the Yankees may choose to maneuver ahead with Rice in a extra full-time position at first base subsequent season.
“What he did was incredible,” Goldschmidt stated of Rice.
“He hit from start to finish for us this year, was amazing, but I think the tough thing for him was not playing a position those first couple of months, really, outside of spot starts here and there, and then by the end of the year, he was playing great defense at catcher and great at first base. I think the growth there continues.”
Nonetheless, Goldschmidt offered worth to the Yankees, even in a part-time position down the stretch.
Goldschmidt’s .336 common in opposition to left-handed pitchers was the seventh greatest mark amongst MLB hitters, whereas his .981 OPS in opposition to lefties ranked fourth — behind solely Aaron Decide, Cal Raleigh and Cody Bellinger.
He went 4-for-9 (.444) within the postseason, which included hits in opposition to robust lefties in Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman through the Yankees’ Wild Card sequence in opposition to the Boston Crimson Sox.
And the four-time Gold Glove winner remained regular at first base, the place he saved an untold variety of errors from Yankee infielders along with his picks on errant throws.
Whether or not or not a return to the Yankees is conceivable may depend upon whether or not Goldschmidt receives a possibility for extra enjoying time elsewhere.
“I still love playing,” Goldschmidt stated. “I still have fun out there. I still want to try to go win. I love to compete, so we’ll have to see what happens, but thankful for my time here. I don’t know what the future’s gonna hold.”
Goldschmidt is a profession .288 hitter with 372 residence runs over 15 MLB seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, St. Louis Cardinals and Yankees.
He was the Nationwide League MVP with the Cardinals in 2022, which is the final season he was named an All-Star.
Goldschmidt is one among a number of notable Yankees who can turn out to be a free agent, together with Bellinger and fellow outfielder Trent Grisham, in addition to relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.
“Outside of us losing, the experience was great,” Goldschmidt stated. “Getting an opportunity to play for the Yankees, one of the premier sports organizations in all the world, and getting to play with the guys in this locker room, I can’t say enough positive things about them.”
Initially Revealed: October 10, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT
