ESPN: The Yankees are surprisingly expected to sever their ties with 37-year-old first baseman.
When Giancarlo Stanton returns, the New York Yankees will find themselves in a difficult position. Usually a welcome addition to this lineup, the team’s main designated hitter still has to step up.
But with Paul Goldschmidt playing first base and Ben Rice performing well in that position (.264 batting average,.935 OPS, 163 OPS+, 8 home runs), manager Aaron Boone will have too many good players and not enough positions.
Amid the intricate depth chart, Goldschmidt was mentioned as a possible surprise trade possibility in a recent Bleacher Report article:
“As things currently stand, there’s no chance the Yankees would trade away Paul Goldschmidt. He has been one of the four most valuable batters in their lineup. If Goldy’s bat disappeared tomorrow, opponents would likely start purposefully walking Aaron Judge more frequently, which is probably already the case, according to Kerry Miller.
However, trading Goldschmidt for a starting pitcher would be an option if a few things work out for New York. First and foremost, the 37-year-old first baseman must keep up his strong hitting.
This summer, the Hitting Logjam Goldschmidt agreed to a one-year, $12.5 million contract with the Yankees. He was viewed as a bridge player who could share time with Rice before ultimately ceding control. But the 37-year-old’s comeback season (.351 batting average,.879 OPS, 151 OPS+) and outstanding three-man defense have made him a vital member of this 2025 team.
Regardless of his outstanding performance, Goldschmidt is a plausible trade option because of his impending free agency and the fact that New York still needs pitching help.
Regarding the Yankees’ Rice problem, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic stated that, like Goldschmidt, Rice is too talented to be wasted on the bench:
If Rice keeps hitting the way he has, the Yankees will need to find a way to provide him regular at-bats. Behind the scenes, those discussions are already taking place. Tanner Swanson, the catching coordinator, has been pressuring Boone to give Rice more at-bat time. He thinks at least ten Major League Baseball teams could start Rice. Additionally, he thinks that his defense will improve with more playing time. Austin Wells’ defense was questioned when he made his Major League Baseball debut, but he is now regarded as an above-average defender. Additionally, Swanson thinks Rice’s bat is “too advanced” to ever return to Triple A.
“He’s correct. Even if everyone is healthy when Stanton returns, there are still ways to get Rice into the lineup. If they believe his case, he could catch at least twice a week. Paul Goldschmidt might start at first base at least twice a week; going into Wednesday’s game, his wRC+ against right-handed pitchers was 86. Additionally, because Stanton won’t be playing every day, he may DH twice a week.
Possible Platoon Resolution
With the huge output differential from the hot corner, the Yankees might teach Rice third base, which is another encouraging thought. Rice, a natural catcher, is still developing as a first baseman and cannot become a terrific utility player overnight, therefore this would be a difficult task.
The most likely and effective plan is to use a rotation of Austin Wells, Goldschmidt, Stanton, and Rice at first base, catcher, and DH. Boone would have a wide variety of pinch hitters and platoon choices to choose from.
