With the New York Yankees’ elimination from the postseason on Wednesday, former Diamondbacks great Paul Goldschmidt completed his 15th season at 38 years old.
Naturally, he received questions about his future after the ALDS Game 4 loss to Toronto.
“I think I’d like to continue playing, but I hadn’t sat down and thought about it,” Goldschmidt told reporters. “I was expecting to continue to play here and all that, but I still love playing. I still have fun out there. I still want to try to go win, love to compete, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
"He's the best that I've ever been around."
Paul Goldschmidt on Aaron Judge. pic.twitter.com/MMypTTfMO7
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 9, 2025
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Goldschmidt is set to enter free agency for the second straight offseason, as he signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal with New York after spending the previous six seasons in St. Louis.
The Diamondbacks rostered Goldschmidt from 2011-18 before trading him to the Cardinals for Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly and Andrew Young, along with a competitive balance draft pick.
Goldschmidt had a decent season in the Bronx that started really well but tapered off.
The seven-time All-Star hit .338 with an .889 OPS and 20 extra-base hits through May. After a miserable June (.464 OPS), Goldschmidt was merely below average in July and August (.706 OPS) before struggling to end the year in September (.586 OPS).
He finished the regular season having produced a .274/.328/.403 batting line, 10 home runs, 31 doubles and 1.2 bWAR. In the postseason, Goldschmidt hit .444 (4-or-9) in six games, as the Yankees used him in more of a platoon role down the stretch.
Against lefties this year, Goldschmidt hit .336 with a .981 OPS and seven homers. Against righties, he was not nearly as effective with a .619 OPS, hitting .247.
Goldschmidt is fourth among active players in games played with 2,073 contests, 53% of which came with the Diamondbacks. He has played in the postseason seven times (twice in Arizona) and has yet to reach the World Series.
“I don’t know what the future’s going to hold,” Goldschmidt said. “I just try to give everything I have every day. Unfortunately we came up short.”
What does first base look like for the Diamondbacks in 2026?
First base is in a tricky spot for the Diamondbacks entering the offseason. Arizona did not even have a first baseman over the final three weeks of the 2025 season, with utility players Tim Tawa and Ildemaro Vargas splitting reps at a less familiar position.
Pavin Smith remains under team control for another couple seasons, but the Diamondbacks strictly used him in a platoon role against righties when healthy this past year. After he produced a 1.103 OPS through April, Smith hit .222 with a .662 OPS the rest of the way.
Tyler Locklear, who came to Arizona in the Eugenio Suarez trade from Seattle, had a rough time facing big-league pitchers after the deadline, hitting .175 in 103 at-bats. He will likely start next year on the injured list after undergoing both shoulder and elbow surgeries.
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported that first base is not among the top priorities for the D-backs this offseason compared to pitching, but that does not mean they won’t add someone to fill the potential void.
I would expect 1B to not be much of a priority for the Dbacks this offseason – They have Pavin Smith, Tyler Locklear and Tim Tawa that can man the position. Could still add one because none of those guys are proven but SP and Bullpen will be much higher of a priority.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) October 1, 2025
Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor and Ryan O’Hearn headline the first base free agent class, while Goldschmidt, Wilmer Flores, Josh Bell and Carlos Santana are older options expected to be cheaper on the market. Spotrac lists Goldschmidt’s market value at $7.2 million, for what it is worth. There is also the trade market to look to.
The Yankees have 26-year-old Ben Rice coming off a breakout year who split time between first base and catching.
from Arizona Sports https://ift.tt/hkqYbdy
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