According to a report by Arizona Sports 98.7’s John Gambadoro on X/Twitter, the Arizona Diamondbacks are expected to at least “kick the tires” on a reunion with seven-time All-Star and fan-favorite first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
Goldschmidt is 38 years old, coming off a relatively poor (by his lofty standards) one-year deal with the New York Yankees. Arizona does not have a clear first base option for the 2026 season as of this writing.
I would expect the Diamondbacks to kick the tires on a reunion with Paul Goldschmidt,” Gambadoro wrote.
“Goldy, who is 38 years old and coming off a season in which he hit .274 with 10 HR for the Yankees in 146 games, could fit in nicely as a platoon 1B for a year.”
As D-backs fans well know, Goldschmidt grew up in Arizona’s farm system, spending eight excellent seasons in the desert. He racked up All-Star berths, Silver Slugger Awards and Gold Gloves year in and year out and received numerous MVP votes.
Goldschmidt spent six more productive years with the St. Louis Cardinals after an infamous trade sent him out of Arizona.
Now in the latter end of his career, Goldschmidt’s overall numbers with the Yankees were certainly productive, though not up to the previous norm of the former NL MVP. Despite his age, he can still produce, but there would be a caveat to his usage should he return to his roots in Arizona.
Goldschmidt’s .274/.328/.403 slash with the Yankees, while productive, comes with a significant asterisk. The right-handed slugger crushed left-hand pitching to the tune of a .336 average, .570 slug and 169 wRC+ (69% above league average).
Against right-hand pitching, those numbers plummeted to a .247 average, .329 slug and 74 wRC+ (26% below average).
If Goldschmidt were to return to Arizona in his age-38 season, he’d likely need to be utilized in a heavy platoon split, similar to how the D-backs deployed veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk.
If he’s content to serve that type of role, and his Spotrac contract projection of one-year, $7.2 million is accurate, he may be just the veteran platoon piece to help raise Arizona’s lacking first base production out of the gutter for an affordable, short-term price.
Arizona faces a significant dilemma at first base after trading Josh Naylor at the Deadline this season.
Pavin Smith was somewhat unproductive and suffered multiple injuries. Tyler Locklear has yet to find his MLB footing, and required surgery to both his elbow and shoulder, which could potentially leave him unavailable for Opening Day.
Meanwhile, Arizona’s emergency tandem of Tim Tawa and Ildemaro Vargas — while admirable in their ability to step up — did not provide much production. The D-backs ranked dead last in first base OPS from August 1 onward (.560).
Goldschmidt is still a player capable of providing value with his bat and glove, but there may not be much left in the tank. A return to Arizona would certainly appeal to fans, but using him as an everyday player is likely not the best course of action.
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