Report: Goldschmidt returning to Yankees on 1-year deal

The New York Yankees are bringing back yet another member of their 2025 squad.

New York has agreed to a one-year contract with veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The 38-year-old turned down more lucrative offers elsewhere in order to return to the Yankees, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Full financial terms of the agreement are not yet known.

Goldschmidt hit .274/.328/.403 with 10 home runs in 146 games with the Yankees last season. He did the majority of his damage against left-handed pitching, posting a .981 OPS with seven homers in 168 plate appearances. Conversely, he produced a .619 OPS with three round-trippers over 366 PAs against righties.

The former NL MVP could once again be the right-handed half of a first-base platoon with the left-handed hitting Ben Rice in 2026. Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glove winner, can also serve as a defensive replacement when Rice starts at first.

Goldschmidt also adds a bit more balance to a Yankees position-player group that's overwhelmingly left-handed. Seven of the Yankees' 13 position players on their projected Opening Day roster hit from the left side.

Goldschmidt is about to enter the 16th season of an outstanding career. A seven-time All-Star, he's a lifetime .288/.378/.504 hitter with 372 homers, 1,232 RBIs, and 174 stolen bases across 2,074 games with the Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and St. Louis Cardinals.

He's the latest member of the 2025 Yankees to return to the club for another year. New York's only handed out three big-league contracts this winter, to re-sign Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Amed Rosario. The team's biggest addition was left-hander Ryan Weathers, who was acquired from the Miami Marlins in a multi-player trade.

The Yankees won 94 games last year but finished second in the AL East after losing the tiebreaker to the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto then eliminated New York in the ALDS.