Should Paul Goldschmidt's Contract Performance Excel Exceptionally, Yankees Might Witness Him Achieving a Notable Milestone
If Paul Goldschmidt's debut season with the New York Yankees is stellar in health and performance at the plate, the Yankees will be celebrating his achievement of a notable milestone in the closing weeks of a season they hope culminates in the AL East title.
The milestone in question is hitting 400 career home runs, and Goldschmidt is currently 38 away from reaching this feat, which is currently limited to Giancarlo Stanton (429) as its sole member. Assuming no injuries, Mike Trout will beat Goldschmidt to this mark as he is only 22 homers away from reaching it.
Achieving this milestone with the Yankees not only marks a significant achievement for Goldschmidt but also sets a new career best for him. While his batting average dipped to .268 and .245 over the past two seasons, he still managed to hit a combined 47 homers, including 11 in the last three months, during which his batting average was .269. It's plausible to think that this performance was the reason behind the Yankees signing him instead of Christian Walker or Pete Alonso, who went to the Houston Astros and remain unsigned respectively.
If Goldschmidt manages to hit 400 homers before Trout, he will join the elite club of 59 players who have achieved this feat. Notably, 16 of these players have played for the Yankees, while a few others were rumored to be Yankees but were ultimately never acquired for various reasons.
Goldschmidt will also hit other milestones throughout his reported one-year, $12.5 million contract with the Yankees. He is 72 games shy of playing in 2,000 regular-season games, a feat only achieved by Freddie Freeman (2,032), Carlos Santana (2,080), and Andrew McCutchen (2,127) among active players. Goldschmidt is also 13 RBIs away from reaching 2,000, a figure the Yankees hope he reaches in the first month of the season, making him the second active player to achieve this alongside Freeman (who, however, does not count his 12 RBIs in the World Series).
Goldschmidt's signing marks a return to a primarily right-handed hitting first baseman for the Yankees, who previously relied on Luke Voit in 2019 and 2020 before his injury. Before Voit, other right-handed hitting Yankee first basemen include Bob Watson (1980 and 1981), Felipe Alou (1972 and 1971), and Bill Skowron (1955 to 1962).
Rizzo, who joined the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs during his age-32 season, contributed 60 homers in 370 games and a .234 average for the Yankees, but his last two seasons were hampered by injuries, resulting in a combined 16 homers from Yankee first basemen over the past two seasons.
Last season's power output by Yankee first basemen was the least in a 162-game season since 2007, mirroring the age and injury-related issues faced by Jason Giambi during his age-36 season. The Yankees' pursuit of first basemen in Giambi's age led to the signing of switch-hitter Mark Teixeira in 2008. Teixeira hit 56 of his 206 career homers with the Yankees, hitting his 400th career homer as a Yankee in 2016.
While health and a declining bat are the main risks associated with signing older players, Goldschmidt has proven his consistency by playing over 150 games in every full season since 2014. Unlike Teixeira at the end of his career, Goldschmidt has maintained a strong performance disregarding age, posting up consistently enough to reach 500 at-bats and be involved in over 100 double plays.
An intriguing sub-plot is Goldschmidt becoming teammates with Luke Weaver, who was a top Cardinals prospect in 2016 but was struggling to establish himself as a starter when he was sent to the Diamondbacks for Goldschmidt in 2018. Weaver was subsequently installed as the Yankees' closer, a role he is expected to reprise when Devin Williams is unavailable.
The Yankees' offseason following Juan Soto's lavish contract with the Mets two weeks ago has been eventful, with the addition of Weaver, Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and Goldschmidt from the National League. If Goldschmidt comes close to or even surpasses the 400 career homer mark, this signing would prove to be a successful one for the Yankees.
If Goldschmidt's exceptional performance in baseball extends to his time with the Yankees, it could potentially boost their business operations through increased ticket sales and merchandise sales. In the realm of sports, Goldschmidt's pursuit of 400 career home runs could also attract more sponsorship deals due to the added interest in his performances.
