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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 17: Paul Goldschmidt #48 of the New York Yankees celebrates his three-run home run in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on June 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Yankees first baseman/DH Paul Goldschmidt, who’s 38 years old and in his second year with the Yankees, is playing at an MVP level right now. Goldschmidt hit a three-run home run in last night’s 10-5 win vs the White Sox at Yankee Stadium. It’s been such an incredible year for Goldschmidt up to this point, who’s hitting for a .301 batting average with 11 home runs, 36 RBI’s, and a .928 OPS in 166 plate appearances.

For comparison, Goldschmidt, in 2025, his first year with the Yankees, hit just 10 home runs in 489 plate appearances. The Yankees originally signed Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million contract during the 2024-25 offseason. Goldschmidt posted a solid 1.1 WAR season in 2025, with a .274 batting average and .731 OPS. Goldschmidt got off to an incredible start in the first few months of his 2025 Yankees campaign, hitting well over .300 with 7 home runs from April through June, but then cooled in the summer months up until the end of the season, per StatMuse.

Goldschmidt Has Gotten Significantly Better In 2026 Compared To 2025

Goldschmidt has already posted a 1.6 WAR for the Yankees in 47 games this season, and we’ve yet to approach the All Star Break, which makes it all the more impressive when comparing his season stats from 2026 to 2025 in general. The Yankees still saw Goldschmidt’s value as an older player who’s a strong leadership presence in the Yankees clubhouse to younger players, such as first baseman Ben Rice, and Goldschmidt’s effectiveness against left-handed pitching, for which he owns a career .326 batting average with  113 home runs and 334 RBI’s lifetime against southpaws, according to StatMuse.

The Yankees brought back Goldschmidt this past offseason on a one-year, $4 million contract, eight million dollars less than the contract he signed the previous offseason. One could argue, given Goldschmidt’s performance this year, that the Yankees got the best bargain of the 2025-26 offseason. When asked by reporters about what’s changed offensively speaking from this year compared to 2025, Goldschmidt stated, “I try to keep it simple, I just go out there and compete. I wish I had something I could tell you, but there’s not something really consciously I’ve done”, stated Goldschmidt to Gary Phillips via the New York Daily News.

Paul Goldschmidt Wanted To Return To The Yankees

Goldschmidt enjoyed his time so much in New York with the Yankees in 2025 that he wanted to return, even though it meant a significant pay cut. Speaking to Yankees beat writer for MLB.com Bryan Hoch, Goldschmidt expressed his intentions to return, stating, “I had such a good time here, I felt like I was hoping my time wasn’t done, and I’m glad it worked out that way”, Goldschmidt told Hoch on February 11th.

Goldschmidt is a seven-time All-Star, 2022 NL MVP, four-time Gold Glove winner, and five-time Silver Slugger Award winner. Goldschmidt has an impressive career resume, including being just 17 home runs shy (383) of 400. With a lifetime .288 batting average, .883 OPS, 1,268 RBI’s, and 2,240 career hits, Goldschmidt is on track to be a first ballot Hall of Famer once his career is over.

Goldschmidt has not played this well since his MVP-caliber days in St Louis and Arizona. But those days are long gone for Goldschmidt’s prior teams, as he looks to give every last baseball he has left in him to bring a title to New York and finish a chapter of a miraculous baseball career from start to finish. The Yankees have had to rely more on Goldschmidt in recent weeks due to injuries to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Trent Grisham.

Goldschmidt has not only stepped up to the task as a leader and solidified presence in the Yankees locker room, but he’s done more than the Yankees could have asked from a performance standpoint. Because he’s 38, many consider this a chapter of a guy’s career that is closing, with no real competitive baseball left in him. But over the last several weeks and months, Goldschmidt has only continued to defy those odds, and it’s paid off massively for the Yankees.