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Juan Soto's departure from the New York Yankees to the crosstown rival New York Mets prompted shockwaves around baseball, as the balance of power appeared to have shifted from the American League to the National League. Soto's decision to the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract has also been viewed as a repudiation of the Yankees, baseball's most successful team with 27 World Series titles...but none since 2009.
The Yankees took that rejection personally. A flurry of moves from general manager Brian Cashman have produced renewed optimism that the Yanks can continue to compete for the World Series after losing the Fall Classic to the Los Angeles Dodgers two months ago -- and on Saturday, New York reeled in another big fish in free agency, adding a player with 362 career home runs to their lineup...on the cheap.
Yanks add Goldschmidt's pop to the lineup
The Yankees on Saturday reached an agreement to sign former NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt as the franchise continues its post-Soto facelift. Goldschmidt, 37, s the Bronx Bombers on a one-year deal worth $12.5 million -- a small price to pay for the Yankees, given their financial might.
Goldschmidt began his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was a perennial All-Star in the desert before he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2019 season. In 2022, Goldschmidt slugged his way to MVP honors, batting .317 while swatting 35 home runs and driving in 115 runs for the NL Central champion Cardinals. However, Goldschmidt has comparatively struggled since winning NL MVP; his average tumbled to .268 in 2023 and fell to .245 in 2024, prompting the Cardinals not to re-sign him.
And so, Goldschmidt is the Yankees' latest addition as their busy winter continues. New York had already added pitchers Max Fried (in free agency) and Devin Williams (via trade) before swinging a deal with the Chicago Cubs for another former MVP, Cody Bellinger -- who figures to hit behind Goldschmidt in the new-look New York lineup while Soto slugs for the Mets on the other side of the city.