The New York Yankees are off to a great start to the 2025 MLB season. Sitting atop the American League East at 36-22, the Yankees are in great shape to make the postseason again in 2025.
Through the first 58 games of the season, there have been plenty of contributors. Aaron Judge is playing at an MVP level and has been putting together one of the best right-handed hitting seasons ever to start the year.
But, Judge isn’t only affecting the team on the field, he’s also making an impact off of it. During the offseason, Judge made a pitch to free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. His pitch worked, and Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal worth $12.5 million.
In a story from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Judge tells the story of his free agency pitch to Goldschmidt. Judge details how he pitched Goldschmidt, and Goldschmidt shared his reaction following the pitch from Judge.
Judges’ Pitch to Goldschmidt
The New York Yankees had a hole at first base, and Judge knew it. So, he reached out to Goldschmidt to pitch him on coming to the Yankees. Judge said, “I remember shooting him the message, ‘Hey man, we got a little vacancy at first base. I think you’d fit in perfect. This is the type of culture and environment I think you were born for.’”
Judge’s pitch for Goldschmidt was a clear one: that Goldschmidt would fit in perfectly with the Yankees. Whenever Judge would make a pitch to another player to come to New York, he’d use a similar approach.
“The one thing I try to tell a lot of the guys who come here,” Judge said, “even if they were on other teams before, they were meant to be a Yankee. Paul Goldschmidt was meant to be a Yankee.”
The pitch worked, and Goldschmidt signed a deal with the Yankees. Afterwards, Goldschmidt shared his thoughts on the process and how Judge helped make his decision a lot easier.
“Aaron is the one who makes it great to be a Yankee,” Goldschmidt said. “He’s a big reason why you want to play here.”
Not only is Judge making a profound impact on the field, he’s also working hard off of it to bring in talent like Goldschmidt. But, how has the deal worked out?
Goldschmidt’s Performance as a Yankee
Since joining the New York Yankees on a one-year deal, Goldschmidt has had a career resurgence. After a down year in 2024, when his future was in question, Goldschmidt is having an incredible start to 2025.
He’s played in all 58 games and has had 238 plate appearances. In that time, Goldschmidt has had 72 hits, 38 runs, 13 doubles, one triple, six home runs, and 28 RBI. He also has 18 walks and 36 strikeouts to go with five stolen bases.
Goldschmidt is batting .333, with a .388 on-base percentage, and a .486 slugging percentage. On the year, Goldschmidt has a .874 OPS, 20th among qualified batters in Major League Baseball. He’s fourth in batting average, 14th in runs, and third in hits among all batters in 2025.
Goldschmidt is off to an incredible start to 2025. His 1.6 WAR is third on the Yankees behind Judge and Anthony Volpe. That total is also more than his 2024 season total of 1.3, a sign of how well he’s playing in 2025.
The pitch in the offseason from Judge has worked wonders for the Yankees. Goldschmidt has been an integral part of the offense, and without Judge’s efforts during the offseason, the Yankees might still be looking for a first baseman.
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