NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees celebrates with Paul Goldschmidt #48 after scoring a run off of a single hit by Austin Wells #28 against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning in game one of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on September 29, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees were swiftly eliminated from the MLB playoffs after being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in three games in the ALDS.
That means a handful of players are headed for free agency.
One of them is Paul Goldschmidt, who just wrapped up his 16th MLB season, and with a player of Goldschmidt’s age, retirement is certainly on the table.
However, amid the Yankees return speculation, following the Rays series, Goldschmidt announced a piece of career news.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 29: Paul Goldschmidt #48 of the New York Yankees warms up prior to Game One of the American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 29, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
Paul Goldschmidt is technically a free agent now that the Yankees season is over, but he indicated to New York reporter Jon Heyman that he intends to come back for the 2027 season if he’s able to land a contract.
“Goldschmidt turned 39 years old in early September. He’s signed one-year deals in each of the past two offseasons. He’ll almost certainly be looking at a one-year pact this winter. Despite his advanced age, he’s coming off a solid offensive season in New York. Goldschmidt also remained a plus defender at first base.”
He signed a one-year deal in February, which felt like an obvious reunion, but with Ben Rice’s emergence as the Yankees’ primary first baseman, it’s unclear if New York would like to ink him to another pact.
Perhaps a reunion deal with the St. Louis Cardinals (where he spent six seasons prior to joining the Yankees and won an MVP) to finish out his illustrious career could be on the table.
In 2026, Goldschmidt batted .252 in 345 at-bats with 18 home runs, 13 doubles, and an OPS+ of 111.
Taking a Quick Look at Paul Goldschmidt’s MLB Career
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 07: Paul Goldschmidt #48 of the New York Yankees hits a single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning in game three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 07, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Paul Goldschmidt is a very tenured MLB veteran of 16 seasons.
He’s been named to the All-Star team seven times and was once considered the best first baseman in all of MLB. Goldy is also a 5X Silver Slugger award winner.
Across 2179 total games played, Goldschmidt has a career bWAR of 65.1 with 390 home runs, 490 doubles, 1284 RBI, and 2277 career hits.
Looking at some of those totals, it feels plausible that Goldschmidt would like to hit 400 home runs before calling it quits on his career, and 500 doubles would also look nice for his Hall of Fame case.
His OPS+ over 16 MLB seasons is 136, and nothing suggests that number will dip all that much even if he does play another season.
It will be interesting to see what his market looks like during this offseason, and what teams may be interested in inking him to a deal.
TJ French covers the MLB for Heavy. TJ is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He has 2+ years of writing experience.
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Paul Goldschmidt Announces Career News Amid New York Yankees Speculation
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The New York Yankees were swiftly eliminated from the MLB playoffs after being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in three games in the ALDS. That means a handful of players are headed for free agency. One of them is Paul Goldschmidt, who just wrapped up his 16th MLB season, and with a player of […]
Paul Goldschmidt Announces Career News Amid New York Yankees Speculation