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Devin Williams: Open To Reunion With Yankees

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Devin Williams endured a tumultuous season in the Bronx, but the free agent has expressed interest in returning to New York.  Williams told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com he’d “definitely be open” to rejoining the Yankees in free agency. “I really enjoyed my experience here. … There’s a lot to like about this city, but it took me some time to adjust.”

New York acquired Williams from Milwaukee this past offseason. The Yankees gave up left-hander Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin for a year of the elite closer’s services. The team’s previous stopper, Clay Holmes, bolted in free agency for a starting opportunity with the Mets. New York was able to replace Holmes with one of the premier relievers of the decade, though the move didn’t pan out as expected.

Williams earned a save against his former team on opening night. He gave up three base runners and needed 36 pitches to get three outs, but got the job done. Williams had a couple of uneven performances in the ensuing weeks, including an extra-inning loss against Pittsburgh, though none came in save situations. He locked down all four of his initial save chances. Williams coughed up a four-run lead on April 19 against Tampa Bay, leading to another extra-inning defeat. In his next appearance, Williams gave up three runs and recorded zero outs to blow his first save. The rough outing cost him the closing gig.

The next few months saw Williams work himself back into the late-inning mix after initially working in low-leverage spots. Luke Weaver earned six saves in May, but a hamstring strain cost him most of June. Williams returned to the closer role and went 12-for-13 on save chances from June through July. New York added a slew of relievers at the trade deadline, including a pair of closers in Camilo Doval and David Bednar. It was Bednar who would assume the role for New York, picking up 10 saves over the final two months of the season. He added two more saves in the playoffs.

Williams’ 4.79 ERA stands out as easily the worst of his seven-year MLB career, but he looked more or less like himself after regaining the closer’s role. Williams posted a 3.92 ERA with an elite 38.6% strikeout rate from June through the end of the regular season. He ripped off nine straight scoreless outings heading into the playoffs, then put up four more zeroes in the postseason. Williams averaged 94.1 mph on his fastball this year, which was down slightly from 2024 (94.7 mph), but right in line with 2023 (94.2 mph) and 2022 (94.1 mph).

The most encouraging sign for Williams, and maybe the biggest factor as he enters free agency, was durability. He made it through 2025 unscathed in the health department, leading to career highs in innings (62) and appearances (67). Williams missed the first four months of his final season in Milwaukee with stress fractures in his back. He was his usual dominant self when he returned, but the 21 2/3 innings he totaled were his fewest in a season since his rookie year.

Williams is entering a crowded reliever market. Proven closers Ryan Helsley and Raisel Iglesias are the headliners, along with Williams. Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez could join them if they opt out of their current contracts. Emilio Pagan and Shawn Armstrong are coming off career years as fill-in closers. Veterans like Kenley Jansen, Kirby Yates, and Kyle Finnegan have plenty of late-inning experience. Weaver might’ve earned himself a look as a closer after two strong seasons in New York.

Age is certainly on Williams’ side compared to the other available bullpen options. He’s now entering his age-31 season, making him one of the youngest notable free agent relievers. Williams is well-positioned to earn one of the longest and most lucrative contracts of the group, despite the hiccup to begin his New York tenure.

The Yankees will have Bednar and Doval under team control for next season, so they don’t have a strong need to reunite with Williams. Bednar’s ascension to the closer role after joining the team may also be a factor. Williams said it “depends on the scenario” regarding whether being the closer would impact his free agency decision.

With both Williams and Weaver potentially on the move, New York likely needs another piece or two to solidify the backend of the bullpen. The Yankees ranked just 23rd in bullpen ERA in 2025. They slipped to 26th after the trade deadline. Given their history of spending, the franchise will likely be in the mix for every notable name on the market.

Orioles Interview Luis Rojas In Managerial Search

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The Orioles have interviewed Yankees third base coach and former Mets manager Luis Rojas amidst their ongoing managerial search, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.  Rojas is the first candidate known to have formally interviewed for the position.  Baltimore interim skipper Tony Mansolino also remains in the running, while Jon Heyman of The New York Post suggested that former O’s infielder and current Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty could be in the mix.

Rojas, 44, has served as the Yankees’ third base coach for the last four seasons.  Beginning his coaching career with the Nationals’ Dominican League team in 2006, he joined the Mets organization the following year and began a long stint as a coach and manager at various levels of the organization.  A promotion to the big league staff as the Mets’ quality control coach came in 2019, and Rojas was then unexpectedly elevated to the top job in January 2020.  Carlos Beltran had been hired as the Amazins’ manager just over two months earlier, yet after the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal broke, Beltran stepped down from the post before he’d ever managed a single regular-season game.

This sudden promotion for Rojas came right before the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, making for quite a trial by fire for the first-time skipper.  The Mets finished with just a 26-34 record in Rojas’ first year, yet he was retained for a second year in 2021.  New York was in first place for a big chunk of that season but collapsed down the stretch, going just 29-45 after the All-Star break to finish with a 77-85 record.

Rojas’ club option for 2022 wasn’t picked up by the Mets, and he then stayed in the Big Apple by joining the Yankees’ coaching staff in November 2021.  Before heading to the Yankees, Rojas interviewed with the Padres about their managerial vacancy that autumn, and he also interviewed with the Marlins in 2022 before Skip Schumaker was hired.

With so few public candidates identified in Baltimore’s search, it isn’t yet clear if the team is primarily focused on people with big league managerial experience (like Rojas or Mansolino) or if the O’s are more partial to Flaherty or another first-timer being elevated to the job.  Whomever the choice may be, they’ll face a challenge in trying to get the Orioles and their young core back on track after a very disappointing 2025 campaign.  The Orioles followed up consecutive playoff appearances with a 75-87 setback this year, though Mansolino did post a 60-59 record after he took over from Brandon Hyde in May.

Anthony Volpe Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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Anthony Volpe spent much of the 2025 season playing through a partially torn left labrum, and the Yankees shortstop addressed the problem in the form of a surgical procedure yesterday, according to Joel Sherman and Greg Joyce of the New York Post.  The exact timeline for Volpe’s recovery isn’t yet clear, but if everything goes normally, a source tells Sherman/Joyce that Volpe would be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

The injury to Volpe’s non-throwing shoulder occurred in early May, when Volpe said he heard “a pop” in his shoulder after diving to try and snag a grounder.  What seemed like a minor issue at the time ended up being a lingering source of discomfort throughout the season, and Volpe received two cortisone shots (one at the All-Star break, one in September) to try and manage the pain.  The Yankees never placed Volpe on the injured list, but he didn’t play for the week following his second shot in September.

It is impossible to think that the injury didn’t contribute to Volpe’s tough season.  He hit .212/.272/.391 with 19 home runs over 596 plate appearances, resulting in just an 83 wRC+.  While these numbers weren’t far off what Volpe produced when healthy in 2023-24, it is worth noting that April (prior to the shoulder issue) was far and away Volpe’s best offensive month of 2025.  The bigger impact may have come defensively, as Volpe dropped to -7 Outs Above Average and +2 Defensive Runs Saved — middling metrics for a shortstop who was a Gold Glove winner in 2023 and a finalist for the award again in 2024.

Volpe’s struggles made him a particular target for fan criticism in the Bronx, and something of an avatar for the fanbase’s frustrations towards GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone.  There has yet to be any sign that Volpe’s starting job might be in danger, though Jose Caballero provided a big spark to the lineup after being acquired at the trade deadline, and getting a good dose of time at shortstop while Volpe was sidelined in September.

More will be known about Volpe’s recovery process in the coming weeks, but if he has any kind of setback, the Yankees could be encouraged to pursue at least a depth option at shortstop this winter if Caballero isn’t entrusted with the starting job.  There will certainly be more speculation about whether or not the Yankees could land a bigger-name shortstop in a larger shake-up for the position, but it doesn’t feel like the Yankees would be inclined to move on entirely from Volpe, due to his former top-prospect status and the team’s three remaining years of control over his services.  Volpe is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, and projected to earn $3.9MM in 2026.

Yankees Part Ways With Coaches Mike Harkey, Travis Chapman

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The Yankees are making changes to their coaching staff. Bullpen coach Mike Harkey as well as first base and infield coach Travis Chapman will not be returning to the club in 2026, per Andy Martino of SNY.

Harkey, 58, has served two separate stints as the team’s bullpen coach. His first stint was from 2008-13, which included the World Series winning 2009 season. After spending 2014-15 as the pitching coach for the Diamondbacks, he returned as the Yankees’ bullpen coach in 2016 and had been in that role ever since, until today’s news. The club has generally churned out a strong relief corps in those ten seasons. Since the start of 2016, Yankees relievers have posted a 3.63 ERA which ranks third-best among all major league teams. They are tied for third-best with a 16.7% K-BB rate in that time and have been worth a combined 56.3 fWAR, which is second only to the Dodgers.

This year, however, the Bronx bullpen did not perform up to its usual standards. Yankees relievers ranked 23rd in the league with a 4.37 ERA. While they struck out plenty of hitters, tying the Guardians bullpen for fifth-best with a 24.9% strikeout rate, they also walked 9.7% of hitters, which was ninth-worst. Key offseason acquisition Devin Williams posted a 4.79 ERA in 62 innings, although his 3.07 xERA and 2.68 FIP are much more favorable. Luke Weaver also underperformed relative to 2024, and while David Bednar proved invaluable following his acquisition at the trade deadline, fellow relievers Camilo Doval and Jake Bird were not as successful, with Bird almost immediately being optioned to the minors.

Obviously, responsibility for the bullpen’s performance is not Harkey’s alone. Underperformance in 2025 aside, Harkey has been a steady presence on the team’s staff for the past decade and now departs the organization with 19 years of coaching experience on his resume.

Chapman, 47, began his coaching career in New York’s farm system before being promoted to the major league staff following the 2021 season. Since the start of 2022, the club’s defense on the left side of the infield has generally been solid. With solid performances at the hot corner from the likes of DJ LeMahieu, Josh Donaldson, Oswaldo Cabrera, and now Ryan McMahon, Yankees third basemen have combined for 35 Defensive Runs Saved and 33 Outs Above Average in that time. Shortstop has also been a defensive strength, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Anthony Volpe leading the team to a combined 35 DRS (4th in the majors) and 8 OAA (14th) at that spot. First and second base have been more serviceable than excellent, being valued at 0 DRS and -6 DRS respectively.

This year, the infield defense was not quite as strong. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was worth 8 OAA at second base, but he was also forced to spend time at third base in the first half and was a negative there, which partly necessitated the trade for McMahon. Notably, Anthony Volpe regressed mightily at shortstop, as he was valued at -7 OAA after being lauded for his defense from 2023-24. As with Harkey, Chapman is not entirely to blame for the infield’s regression. Nonetheless, it appears the Yankees are moving on in hopes of improving their infield defense in 2026.

Other coaching changes are on the horizon as well. Per Martino, hitting coordinator Jake Hirst is being promoted to the major league staff. Assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler will not return in that role, although the team is discussing other potential roles with him. Meanwhile, hitting coach James Rowson is reportedly set to interview for the Twins’ managerial vacancy. In any case, the Yankees will look to have a capable staff in place under manager Aaron Boone in hopes of making a deeper postseason run in 2026 following their ALDS loss to the Blue Jays.

Twins To Interview James Rowson, Derek Shelton In Managerial Search

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8:40pm: Rowson, Shelton and Vázquez will all indeed get interviews, according to a Minnesota Star-Tribune report.

3:37pm: The Twins are looking for a new manager and are considering a current Yankee coach. According to reporting from Greg Joyce, Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Twins are interested in Yankees hitting coach James Rowson. Clubs generally don’t stand in the way of their staff members seeking promotions with other clubs and the report notes that the Yanks have already given the Twins permission to speak with Rowson about the gig. The report also mentions Derek Shelton and Ramon Vazquez as potential candidates. MLBTR covered Vazquez earlier today.

Rowson, 49, has no managerial experience but has a long track record as a hitting coach. The Twins are surely familiar with his coaching abilities, as he was their hitting coach from 2017 to 2019. Minnesota’s bats fared well during that time, putting up a collective .260/.330/.445 line over those three campaigns. That translates to a 105 wRC+, which trailed only four clubs for that span. The 2019 club was particularly successful, hitting 307 home runs. That was the juiced-ball season but the Twins still led the league in putting that ball over the fence.

Going into 2020, he jumped to the Marlins with the titles of bench coach and offensive coordinator. Miami didn’t have especially strong offense during his time there but the club wasn’t trying especially hard to win, playoff appearance in the shortened 2020 season notwithstanding. Rowson then spent 2023 with the Tigers as assistant hitting coach before getting his current gig as the Yankees hitting coach.

Separating the contributions of the players versus a coach is always difficult but the Yanks have performed well under Rowson. The Yanks had a .248/.333/.429 line last year, translating to a league-leading 118 wRC+. This year, it was a .251/.332/.455 slash, again topping the league with a 119 wRC+.

Obviously, having a slugger like Aaron Judge on the roster helps but Rowson appears to be respected around the game, based on his continued employment. Whether his experience with hitters can translate to the larger role of manager is something the Twins will have to debate as they pursue various candidates to replace Rocco Baldelli, who was fired last month. For the Yankees, they will have to find a new hitting coach if Rowson ends up getting the gig in Minnesota.

Shelton brings more managerial experience, though without much success in the role. He managed the Pirates from 2020 to 2025, getting fired in May of this year. He produced a 306-440 record while at the helm of the Pirates. That’s obviously a poor mark but Pittsburgh has been rebuilding for that stretch, so it’s debatable how much of that record should be attributed to Shelton’s managerial abilities.

Photo courtesy of John Meore, Imagn Images

Sandy Alomar Sr. Passes Away

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Former All-Star infielder Sandy Alomar Sr. has passed away, per an announcement from the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League. He was 81 years old and would have turned 82 this coming weekend.

The father of big leaguers Roberto Alomar and Sandy Alomar Jr., Sandy Sr. enjoyed a 15-year playing career of his own. From 1964-78, he suited up for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox, Braves, Rangers and Mets. The elder Alomar made the 1970 All-Star team as a member of the Angels during a season in which he batted .251/.302/.293 and played in all 162 games while providing quality defense and 35 stolen bases.

In all, Alomar hit .245/.290/.288 in 5160 major league plate appearances across his decade and a half as a big league player. He played primarily second base but also logged more than 1200 innings at shortstop and made a handful of appearances at the hot corner. Alomar was known for his glove and speed more than his bat; he totaled just 13 career home runs, 126 doubles and 19 triples but piled up 227 career stolen bases. He’s one of just 300 players to ever steal at least 225 bags in his career.

Beyond his career as a player, Alomar logged parts of 16 season as a coach in the major leagues, spending time with the Padres (third base coach), Cubs (first base coach), Rockies (third base coach) and Mets (bench coach, first base coach). He also managed in the minor league ranks for both the Cubs and the Mets and spent several seasons coaching and managing teams at home in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Our condolences go out to each of the organizations Alomar impacted, as well as the Alomar family and friends, and the countless fans he accrued over a baseball career that spanned more than 50 years.

Seven Players Elect Free Agency

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Now that the season is over, we’ll start seeing several players choose to become minor league free agents. Major League free agents (i.e. players with six-plus years of big league service time) will hit the open market five days after the end of the World Series, but eligible minor leaguers can already start electing free agency.

To qualify, these players must have been all outrighted off their team’s 40-man rosters during the 2025 season without being added back. These players also must have multiple career outrights on their resume, and/or at least three years of Major League service time.

We’ll offer periodic updates over the coming weeks about many other players hitting the market in this fashion. These free agent decisions are all listed on the official MLB.com or MILB.com transactions pages, for further reference.

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Cody Bellinger To Opt Out Of Contract With Yankees

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Cody Bellinger will decline his $25MM player option and become a free agent, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN. That was never much in doubt, as the outfielder will hit the open market after one strong season with the Yankees. He’ll collect a $5MM buyout, half of which will be paid by the Cubs.

The Yanks had been tied to Bellinger in free agency and trade rumors for years. That finally came to fruition last offseason with what amounted to a salary dump trade with Chicago. Bellinger was coming off a relative down ’24 season (.266/.325/.426) and passed on his first opt-out chance in his three-year deal. The Cubs pulled off the Kyle Tucker trade to add a needed impact bat in the middle of the order. That left them without an outfield spot for Bellinger, so they sent him to the Yankees for essentially no return.

New York absorbed $47.5MM of the $52.5MM remaining on Bellinger’s contract. The Cubs paid $2.5MM of his $27.5MM salary this season and are responsible for the other $2.5MM on the buyout. The Yankees wound up paying $27.5MM for one year — $25MM in salary and the remaining half of the buyout.

That proved a worthwhile investment even if the team had a disappointing exit in this week’s Division Series. Bellinger played about as well as could be expected. He hit .272/.334/.480 across 656 plate appearances. Bellinger hit 29 homers, his best single-season total since he connected on 47 longballs during his 2019 MVP season. He swiped 13 bases while cutting his strikeout rate to a career-low 13.7% clip.

Bellinger’s left-handed swing seemed tailor made for Yankee Stadium. He hit 18 homers with a .302/.365/.544 batting line at home. His road numbers were essentially league average, as he slashed .241/.301/.414 outside the Bronx. That could give some teams pause about how the bat will play if he signs elsewhere. Bellinger didn’t find the robust market he wanted when he was a free agent during the 2023-24 offseason, nor was there significant trade interest when the Cubs shopped him last winter. If there were, the Yankees would’ve needed to give up more than journeyman righty Cody Poteet to acquire him.

That’s largely because of Bellinger’s pedestrian batted ball metrics. He has been in the bottom quarter of the league in average exit velocity in each of the past three seasons. He doesn’t have a ton of bat speed and certainly doesn’t hit the ball as hard as he did early in his career — before he suffered a shoulder injury that tanked his numbers between 2021-22. Bellinger has compensated for the drop in bat speed by cutting his strikeouts every season, and he carries a .281/.338/.477 line in nearly 1800 plate appearances over the past three years.

Bellinger returns to the market a few months after his 30th birthday. He’s young enough to seek a five- or six-year deal. Bellinger is a better defender and arguably superior all-around hitter than Anthony Santander, who signed for five years with a net present value around $69MM last winter. There’s little reason Bellinger shouldn’t beat that contract fairly handily. It wouldn’t at all be surprising if his camp starts out with an asking price in the $100-150MM range.

The Cubs issued Bellinger a qualifying offer after the 2023 season. That makes him ineligible to receive a QO for the rest of his career. The Yankees would not receive any kind of compensation if he signs elsewhere, nor would another team forfeit a pick. New York can and probably will make a qualifying offer, which would land around $22MM, to Trent Grisham. They’re also set to have Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, Paul Goldschmidt and a handful of role players hit the open market. Williams entered the season as a qualifying offer candidate, but the Yankees are probably content to let him move on after an uneven season in pinstripes.

Yankees Notes: Judge, Bellinger, Volpe

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Aaron Judge’s massive postseason performance made it easy to forget he’s been dealing with a flexor strain in his right elbow since July. The slugger had multiple hits in all but one game across the first two rounds of the playoffs. Judge engineered a defining postseason moment in Game 3 against Toronto, smashing a game-tying homer off Louis Varland.

With the Yankees now headed into the offseason, Judge was asked about the plan for his ailing elbow. “We’ll definitely do some work on it and get it right,” Judge told reporters, including Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. When asked about surgery specifically, Judge remained noncommittal. “I’m not a doctor. I don’t know.”

The flexor strain forced Judge to the IL in late July. It was a minimum stint on the IL, but he was unable to play the field upon returning. Judge spent all of August at DH. He made it back to his familiar home in right field on September 5. Judge bounced between right field and DH for the final month of the season. In the playoffs, he played exclusively in the field, with Giancarlo Stanton manning the DH spot in all seven games.

Initial tests did not reveal any ulnar collateral ligament damage for Judge. His recovery from surgery to address the flexor strain, if he were to go that route, would not be as long as for a more serious elbow injury like a UCL tear.

Anthony Volpe was similarly tight-lipped about offseason surgery for his shoulder injury. “I anticipated playing another month and then reassessing then. So nothing’s [decided] … we’re going to figure it out,” Volpe told reporters, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Volpe partially tore the labrum in his shoulder back in May. He didn’t go on the IL with the injury, but his performance suffered. Volpe slashed a solid .237/.328/.456 through April. His numbers tumbled to .205/.255/.374 over the final five months of the season. Volpe got off to a strong start in the postseason, going 4-for-11 with a home run in the Wild Card round against Boston. He collapsed in the ALDS, managing just one hit in 15 at-bats. Volpe struck out 11 times in the four games against Toronto.

Depending on the severity of the tear, Volpe could elect surgery and still be ready for the 2026 season. Shohei Ohtani tore the labrum in his non-throwing shoulder during the World Series in 2024. He made it back in time for spring training this year.

While Volpe never hit the IL with the shoulder issue, he did miss time in mid-September after receiving a cortisone injection. Midseason acquisition Jose Caballero started six straight games at shortstop from September 10-15. Caballero receded to a bench role once Volpe was deemed healthy, but he did endear himself to Yankees fans with a walk-off single to clinch a postseason bid in the final week of the season. Caballero is under team control through 2029 and could factor into New York’s middle infield plans depending on the health of Volpe.

No matter what Judge and Volpe decide on the surgery front, they’ll definitely be back with the team next season. The same can’t be said for Cody Bellinger, who is facing a decision of his own. Bellinger can opt out of the final year of his current contract with the Yankees. He’d be leaving $20MM on the table ($25MM salary next year but with a $5MM buyout) in pursuit of a longer, potentially more lucrative deal in free agency.

Hoch passed along comments from Bellinger about the pending opt-out decision. As has been the theme with these Yankees, Bellinger didn’t say much. “Obviously, things to discuss with family and the agent and the business side of it all. But tonight, I’m just going to soak it all in and just be a part of the group one more time.”

Bellinger signed his current three-year, $80MM contract with the Cubs ahead of the 2024 season. He could’ve opted out of the deal this past offseason, but declined. Bellinger was then dealt to the Yankees. He slugged 29 home runs in his first year in pinstripes, his most since his 2019 NL MVP season. Bellinger also stayed healthy, topping 600 plate appearances for just the third time in his career. He’s widely expected to opt out of the final year of his deal.

Paul Goldschmidt Plans To Play In 2026

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Paul Goldschmidt is not ready to hang up his spikes yet. In speaking to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the first baseman simply stated, “I love playing,” indicating that he intends to return for what would be his 16th major league season in 2026.

Goldschmidt, who turned 38 in September, is a seven-time All Star and one of the best first basemen of his generation. He has batted .288/.378/.504 in his career, good for a 137 wRC+ and a 63.8 bWAR which ranks seventh among all active players. His 372 home runs and 1,232 RBI rank third and second among active hitters, respectively. Goldschmidt shined in his eight years with the Diamondbacks before being traded to the Cardinals prior to the 2019 season. He continued to perform well in St. Louis, winning the NL MVP Award in 2022 after posting a .317/.404/578 batting line with 35 home runs and 115 RBI in 151 games in his age-34 season.

His offensive numbers have declined since then. After posting a 175 wRC+ in his MVP season, that number fell to 122 in 2023 and 100 in 2024 – essentially league average. The Cardinals did not re-sign him in free agency, and he ultimately landed with the Yankees on a one-year, $12.5MM pact. In 534 plate appearances spanning 146 games, Goldschmidt batted .274/.328/.403 and again graded out as league average with a 103 wRC+. Interestingly, after seeing his power numbers decline in his last two years with the Cardinals, Goldschmidt adopted a more contact-heavy approach at the plate in 2025. He cut his strikeout rate from 26.5% to 18.7% and made contact on 86.0% of pitches in the strike zone, up from 79.8% in 2024.

This new approach led to some initial success, as Goldschmidt batted .338 in 232 plate appearances through the end of May and posting a 148 wRC+. However, he then hit just .143 in 94 plate appearances in June. While he recovered to hit .261 from July through the end of the year, that was good for just an 87 wRC+. As the year went on, Goldschmidt ceded more playing time to Ben Rice, and he ultimately started just two of his six games played in the postseason before the Yankees were eliminated by the Blue Jays. All told, Goldschmidt was worth a career-low 0.8 fWAR in 2025.

His offensive decline notwithstanding, Goldschmidt’s defense this year was serviceable. In 1,029 innings at first base, he was valued at -1 Defensive Runs Saved, tied for ninth among qualified first basemen, as well as -3 Outs Above Average, which ranked 13th. Statcast viewed his contributions more negatively, giving him a 33rd-percentile Fielding Run Value. Defensive metrics are notoriously tricky, of course, and indeed, the numbers on Goldschmidt have fluctuated throughout his career. At the very least, he provided a stable presence for the Yankees at the cold corner after witnessing Anthony Rizzo’s concussion- and age-related decline in the prior two seasons.

In all, Goldschmidt projects to have a tougher time on the market than he did last offseason. His age will limit him to another one-year deal, and it is questionable whether teams will continue to view him as a starter given his now middling offense. First basemen tend to be strong hitters, and in 2025, they posted a collective 109 wRC+, whereas Goldschmidt was valued at 103 wRC+. His increased contact might offer some optimism, but it is also likely that he is simply declining due to age. However, he could find success in a platoon role. In 168 plate appearances against southpaws this year, Goldschmidt batted .336/.411/.570 with a strikeout rate of just 11.3%, good for a 169 wRC+. If a team could minimize his exposure to same-handed pitchers, he might see more sustained success over the course of a season.

As it stands, the free agent class of first basemen is headlined by Pete Alonso and Josh Naylor, with names like Ryan O’Hearn, Luis Arraez, and Josh Bell making up the second tier. Alonso is the best option on offense, while O’Hearn is arguably the best defender of the bunch, as he was valued at 4 DRS and 6 OAA as a first baseman during the regular season. Goldschmidt would represent a solid platoon bat and a serviceable defender for those who miss out on Alonso and Naylor, so he might command a one-year deal with a lower guarantee than his deal with the Yankees.

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